Saving Bella
by BellaEdwardForever21
Summary: Takes place during New Moon. Edward and the others go back to find Bella injured. They must now protect her as she fights for her life.
1. Going Back

This is my first Twilight story, so I hope that you all enjoy it.

In this story, I will use the pairings from the books:

EdwardxBella

AlicexJasper

RosaliexEmmett

CarlislexEsme

Summary: After deciding to go back to Forks, Edward and the rest of the Cullen family find that someone has severely injured Bella. Bella fights to stay alive while the Cullens try to figure out what happened to her. Now, they have to protect Bella from whatever is coming after her.

Note: The story will be done in different POVs, so the chapters will jump from one POV to another. I have labeled them clearly so that you know who's POV it is in.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or the characters. They belong to Stephanie Meyer.

* * *

Chapter 1- Going Back

~Edward POV~

I knew that I did the right thing.

As much as it hurt me to leave Bella, I knew that leaving was the right thing to do for Bella's sake, not for mine.

My family had been against the idea of leaving Bella the way we did. They tried to talk me out of it. Even Rosalie tried to change my mind. They all knew that leaving Bella was the last thing that I really wanted to do.

Alice told me that leaving would devastate Bella in the end. Plus, Bella was Alice's best friend, so Alice did not want to leave her under any circumstances. Bella was also a sister to Alice already.

Jasper had apologized profusely to me for attacking Bella that night. He saw her as a sister and did not want to lose her like that.

Emmett also loved Bella like a sister, and he didn't want to lose her either. He hated the idea of leaving Bella like that.

Rosalie, despite her outward animosity toward Bella, loved her as a sister, and she did not want to love Bella, either.

Esme already loved Bella as a daughter. To Esme, leaving Bella behind was the same thing as leaving one of her children behind. It was simply too painful a thought for Esme, to lose another child.

Carlisle also saw Bella as a daughter. He also knew how much I loved Bella, and he knew how much it would hurt me to leave Bella behind. He didn't want either one of us to be hurt in any way, shape, or form, especially since it could be avoided.

However, I ignored my family. I refused to listen to anything that they had said to me. I was determined to leave so that I could protect my Bella.

When I told Bella that I didn't want her anymore, the devastated expression on her face nearly destroyed my resolve to leave.

I nearly backed out.

I couldn't believe that Bella had believed me so easily. I had thought that it would take much more than that to convince her of such a thing.

Once I had told Bella what I had needed to, I left. I had to leave before I ended up changing my mind and staying.

* * *

It has been nearly seven months since I left Bella, but it seems like an eternity to me. Each day feels like a lifetime.

I don't feel much other than the agonizing pain that consumes me every second of every day. My heart no longer beats, but I feel so hollow without Bella here by my side.

I spend the majority of my time in the room of whatever hotel I happen to be in, in whatever city I happen to be in.

I never pay attention to what city I am in anymore. It's not the city that I wish I was in, so it doesn't matter to me.

In my hotel room, I lay curled into a ball on the bed, and I allow the pain to consume me. I feel that I deserve it.

I close my eyes, and I remember my Bella's face. Her smile, her blush, her laugh, her smell. I remember it all. I always want to remember what she looks like. I know I'll never forget her, but doing this only served to remind me that she was still alive.

And then I remember the look on her face when I told her that I did not want her anymore.

It was still unfathomable to me that one sentence was all it took to convince her of that. That one sentence was all that it took for me to completely break my love's heart in such a way.

Finally, I uncurl myself from the ball and stand up from the bed. I then walk over to the glass doors, and I slide them open before I step out onto the balcony of my room.

It's nighttime, and I can feel the crisp breeze in the air.

I don't care.

I don't care about much of anything anymore. I can't bring myself to care about anything anymore.

Since I left Bella, I can't bring myself to care about anything except the fact that I am no longer with her.

I have haven't seen my parents or my siblings since we left Forks. I just can't bring myself to face them and see the pain that I inflicted on them because of my wanting to leave.

As I stand out on the balcony, I let my mind wander to the different memories I have of my Bella.

The first time that I saw her across the school's cafeteria on her first day of school at Forks High School.

The first biology class that we had together when we were sitting beside each other.

The first time that I spoke with her.

When Bella told me that she knew that I was a vampire.

When I took Bella out to my meadow and showed it to her for the first time.

The first time that Bella knew that I was in her room at night, just watching her sleep.

The first time that I took her to meet my family.

The ball game I took Bella to for her to watch.

Everything that had happened with James.

When I was in Bella's hospital room in Phoenix when I knew that Bella was going to make it.

The prom.

Watching _Romeo and Juliet _with her in her house on the day that everything seemed to end.

Her birthday party at our house.

Taking her into the forest behind her house and telling her that I was leaving Forks, that I was leaving her.

I couldn't take this anymore! I just couldn't take it anymore!

I ran back into my room at vampire speed and threw what little belongings I had with me into the duffel bag that I kept. I had it packed in a matter of seconds.

I then grabbed my cell phone and called the airport. I booked passage on the next flight that they had to Seattle, Washington. I could always run to Forks from there. It wouldn't take me that long to get there with the speed that I had.

I then rushed to the stairs and raced down them at a vampire speed, knowing that no human would be able to see me race down them at the speed that I was moving at. I went into the lobby and checked out of the hotel before I made a mad dash for the airport on foot.

On the way to the airport, I took out my phone and dialed a number that I knew all too well.

"_Edward_." Carlisle said.

I heard the surprise in his voice in his answer, and I understood why there was surprise at my call.

I only called my parents every few months so that they knew I was alive. I knew that Esme would want to at least know that I was safe and alive. I wasn't going to allow her to think that I was dead, even if I wished I was at the time.

I had just called them a few weeks ago, so I know that Carlisle wouldn't have been expecting a call from me for another few months.

"I'm going back." I said.

* * *

~Carlisle POV~

The call surprised me. Edward only ever called to inform Esme and myself that he was alive.

I had been very disappointed in him when Edward told us of his choice to leave Bella. I knew that it was a mistake that would only end up hurting both Edward and Bella in the long-run.

I did not argue with his decision nor did I go against it because I knew that it was what Edward felt he needed to do, even if it wasn't what he truly wanted to do. I never approved of what Edward had done, but I honored the decision he had made and abided by it.

"Edward." I said, wondering what the sudden phone call from him was all about since it was rare to hear from him.

"_I'm going back._" Edward said.

This sudden proclamation took me more by surprise than the phone call had. "What do you mean, Edward?" I asked.

"_I'm going back to Forks, to Bella. I can't stand to live this way anymore, Carlisle. I just can't take it any longer. I'm going to go back._" Edward explained.

There is nothing in this world that could have made me happier when I heard my son speak those words.

I knew how much Edward truly missed her. Only Jasper would have understood better than I did. I was certain that Bella missed Edward just as much as Edward had been missing her.

This was what I had been hoping to hear from Edward every time that he called. I was hoping he would realize that he was wrong and decide to go back to her.

"I am very glad to hear that, Edward. I will inform the rest of the family of your decision, and we will meet you in Forks." I said.

"_All right, Carlisle, and thank you._" Edward said before he hung up.

I knew that he was thanking me for understanding him and for being patient with him all these months.

I got up from behind my desk and rushed out of my office in a great hurry. "Esme!" I called.

Esme was in front me very quickly. "Carlisle, what is it? Is something wrong?" Esme asked, concerned as always.

Ever since we had all left Forks and the family split up, Esme had been even more worried about all of our children than she usually was, especially Edward and Bella given what they were going through.

Esme and I already consider Bella a part of our family, so leaving Bella behind was especially hard for us because it was like leaving a daughter behind in Forks.

It had hurt us both deeply.

Now, all could be made right, and our family could come back together with Edward's decision.

"Esme, Edward just called. He is going back to Forks. He has decided to go back to Bella." I said.

Esme's face immediately brightened upon hearing those words. "He is?" Esme asked just to be sure.

I nodded. "Pack up. We are going to go back to Forks as well." I told her, knowing she would have no argument.

Esme immediately started to go around the house to start packing everything, and I followed to help her.

Once we had all of our things packed and ready, we booked a flight to Seattle and headed for the airport.

* * *

~Alice POV~

I was so angry at Edward I couldn't stand it! I could have murdered my brother for forcing me to leave my best friend and sister behind in Forks because it's what he _thought _was best for her!

I did understand Edward's reasoning behind leaving Bella, I would give him that much. I understood his deep desire to keep Bella safe, but I knew that this was not the way to go about keeping Bella safe. All this did was hurt them both deeply.

I know that Jasper gets annoyed with me because he has to feel all of my feelings of anger toward Edward on top of his own, but I can't help how I feel. I can't help how upset I get with Edward for his stupidity.

Jasper was no happier about leaving than I was. I know that he fees very guilty about attacking Bella that night, and I know that he is truly sorry for what he did. Jasper already saw and loved Bella like a sister, and it killed him to know that he had attacked her and caused Edward to make this decision that had ended up splitting our entire family up.

I just wish that somehow Edward would get a clue and realize that this isn't doing him any good! And I am more than certain that all of us leaving her has not done Bella any good, either.

Jasper gave aloud sigh from his place on the couch beside me. "Alice, can you please calm down? I know that the actions that Edward has taken upset you a lot, but your anger is only making mine that much worse, and I would hate to end up killing Edward because of combined anger." Jasper said. He paused before he added, "If I must, I will force you to calm down."

I reached over and placed my hand on Jasper's arm. "I'm sorry about all this, Jasper. I don't mean to do that. I just know that what Edward is doing is not the right way to handle this situation, and I know that none of this is helping him or Bella. It just upsets me a lot." I explained honestly.

Jasper reached up and placed his hand on mine. "I know all that, Alice, but Edward has made his choice. We are just going to have to deal with this until Edward comes to his senses and goes back." Jasper said.

Then it happened.

I let out an audible gasp as I had a vision.

"What is it, Alice? What do you see?" Jasper asked. He knew that I was having a vision.

I saw Edward get on a plane, and I also saw the destination of the plane, and the final destination that Edward had in mind.

I jumped up and let out a loud shout of joy. "Yes! Yes! Yes! He's finally done it! Finally!" I shouted.

Jasper looked at me, still in shock at my sudden outburst and sudden emotions of elation and joy.

"Edward's changed his mind! He's on a plane to Seattle now! He's going to Forks!" I explained happily.

Jasper looked happy now. "Finally! I wasn't sure that he was ever going to change his mind and go back to her!" Jasper said.

"Come on. We need to get back and head to Forks. The whole family will be going back." I told him.

Jasper and I immediately started to pack everything up. Once we called the airport and booked our flight, we headed off to the airport to head back.

* * *

~Emmett POV~

How Edward could do all of this to his family and not think about how it would affect all of us is beyond me. He's split the entire family up so suddenly, and we haven't been the same since we left Forks.

Esme especially hates this separation that we now have. She loves her family more than anything, and she doesn't like for her family to be so far apart.

I hated having to leave Forks because it meant that I would never be able to see Bella again, and I loved her like a sister.

Edward was a fool to leave Bella when it was so obvious that he didn't want to leave. The entire family knows that.

Even Rosalie hated to leave Bella. She may have acted like she hated Bella, but I knew the truth. It was hard for Rosalie to hide anything from me. I didn't need Edward's ability to read minds to know that Rosalie did not hate Bella. Bella was family to us, and Rose saw Bella as a sister.

My brooding was interrupted by the ringing of my cell phone. I saw that the call was from Esme. "Esme." I said once I answered the phone, glad to be hearing from her.

"_Emmett, you and Rosalie need to pack everything up. We're all heading back to Forks now._" Esme said.

"But Edward-" I started, confused.

Edward had wanted us to stay away from Forks, and now Esme was calling me to tell me to head back to Forks.

"_Edward had chosen to return to Bella. Come home. I want my family back, Emmett._" Esme told me.

"Consider us there." I assured her before I hung up the phone. "Rose!" I called up the stairs, louder than need be.

Rose came down the stairs with a frown on her face. "Emmett, you don't have to yell. I can hear you just fine upstairs." Rose said.

"I know that, Rose, but Esme just called. Edward has decided to go back to Bella now. He's on his way to Forks now, and so is everyone else. Esme wants us to come home now." I explained quickly.

Rose's eyes lit up at that. "Then stop standing there, Emmett! Let's get going!" Rose said.

We then headed upstairs to pack, and once that was done, we called the airport to book a flight to Seattle.

Once we had that done, we headed for the airport.

* * *

~Edward POV~

My whole family is already on their way back to Forks. I knew that they would go the instant I made my decision.

Right now, all I cared about was getting back to my Bella.

I know that I had hurt Bella badly with the choice that I had made. I just hope that Bella will be able to find it in her heart to forgive me for what I put her through. I don't know how I could live if Bella was not in my life.

I looked out the window at the dark sky.

It would be about twenty hours before I would be able to see Bella again.

* * *

Hope you liked it. Let me know what you thought.

Next: It will be about the familt arriving back in Forks.

R&R.


	2. Return

Here's the next chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or its characters. Stephanie Meyer does.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 2- Return

~Esme POV~

Carlisle and I were the first ones to arrive back at our home in Forks. I was glad to be back here in Forks.

Carlisle glanced at his watch. "Alice and Jasper should be here in about an hour or so. Rose and Emmett should arrive in around three hours. Edward will not get here until later tonight." Carlisle said.

I nodded. "I'll just be glad to have all of them back where they belong. We have not been able to be together as a family since we left Forks before. It will be good to have our children back." I said.

Carlisle wrapped his arms around me from behind. "I know, Esme. It will be very nice to finally have all of our family back together again." Carlisle agreed.

I knew how much our family being together meant to Carlisle. He was alone for such a long time before he found and turned Edward and then me. He had been alone for close to two hundred years. Carlisle was happy when our family grew from three to seven. He only wished that Edward would be able to finally find his soul mate so that he would not be alone any longer. It bothered Carlisle that we all had found our soul mate while Edward was left alone.

Then Bella had entered Edward's life.

Seeing Edward so happy with Bella made us both very happy. We had never seen Edward as happy as he was with Bella. When Edward made the decision to leave Bella, Carlisle and I both were not happy with his choice. We only left because we knew that it was truly what Edward wanted.

Now, everything seemed to be getting better.

"Things will be perfect once more when Bella is back." Carlisle said.

"I know." I said in agreement. There was still one thing that deeply concerned me about our coming back. "Carlisle, do you think that Bella will be able to forgive us for leaving her as we did?" I asked.

"I honestly do not know, Esme. I hope that she will." Carlisle said. He then grew silent for several moments. "I hope that she does find it in her heart to forgive Edward for what he did. I am not sure how Edward would react if Bella is not able to forgive him for everything." Carlisle said.

That was a thought that I did not even want to consider. I did not want to think about what Edward would do if Bella did not forgive him.

Carlisle then pressed his lips to the back of my neck. "Try not to worry about it, Esme. We will cross that bridge when we come to it. We will concern ourselves with that when it comes." Carlisle said.

I nodded. "You're right. I'm not going to worry about it right now." I agreed.

"Come. We need to get all of our things put away before the children get here." Carlisle told me.

"You're right." I said. I then took a look around the house and noticed there was a lot of dust all over the house. "And this place needs to be tidied up before someone else comes here." I added.

"Yes. We should do all of this now." Carlisle agreed.

We then set out to straighten up the house.

* * *

~Jasper POV~

The plane that Alice and I were on was nearing the airport in Seattle. We would be home in Forks before too long.

I could feel how happy and excited Alice was to be going home. Forks was home to the both of us.

I was very glad to be going home to Forks. It had been seven months since the last time we had been there, and we were both rather homesick for it.

I saw Bella as a younger sister already, and the prospect of being able to see my little sister again after a seven-month separation was a very exciting thought for me.

I also wanted to have the chance to apologize to Bella for attacking her on the night of her birthday party. I felt so guilty about what I had tried to do that I could not stand it. I had attacked a member of my own family, so I could not stop the guilt that I was feeling at it. There was nothing that was going to make me feel better.

I knew that Edward had made the decision for us to leave Forks and Bella mostly because of my reaction to the small paper cut that Bella had gotten when she was opening the gift. I had lost control of myself for only a moment, and that moment had ended up destroying everything about my family.

A hand on top of mine brought me out of my depressive thoughts. I turned so that I could look Alice in the face.

"Stop, Jasper. Stop blaming yourself for all that happened. It was not your fault at all." Alice said.

"I've tried, Alice, I really have, but none of this would be happening if I hadn't lost control of myself for that one moment that night. It is my fault, Alice. I just cannot escape that." I said to Alice.

Alice released a sigh that only another vampire could have heard. "You were not the one who wanted us all to leave Forks and ended up splitting the family apart. That was Edward's doing, not yours." Alice said.

"My actions that night are what caused Edward to react the way he did." I pointed out.

"I know that, Jasper, but you are not to blame for any of this that has happened." Alice replied.

"I think that I will feel a lot better when I am able to apologize to Bella for what happened." I said.

Alice smiled at me. "Jasper, Bella will forgive you for this, if she was ever angry at you in the first place." Alice said to me. In a lower voice, she added, "And I don't need to be able to see the future to know that."

I smiled back at Alice. Somehow, she always knew how to make me feel better when I am feeling down.

The plane soon arrived in Seattle.

Alice and I were very quick to get off the plane, and we gathered our luggage faster than anyone else.

We moved at a pace that was slightly faster than that of the average human, but we didn't move so fast that we would draw attention to ourselves.

Once we had all that we needed, Alice and I left the airport terminal and headed out into the parking lot. It didn't take us long to find Carlisle's sleek, black sedan in the parking lot near the exit.

Carlisle had called us to let us know that he had left his car there for us to use to drive home to Forks. Rosalie's red convertible and Edward's silver Volvo were in the parking lot as well for them to use.

Alice and I put our luggage in the trunk of the car before we got into the car. I slid in behind the wheel while Alice slid into the passenger sear. I turned on the car and headed out of the airport parking lot.

As always, I drove fast, so Alice and I made it to Forks in no time. I parked the car in the garage before we grabbed our bags out of the trunk and headed into the house.

The house was spotless.

"Esme has been busy since she got home." Alice said matter-of-factly, looking around at the clean house.

Of course Alice knows that. She can see the future. And I knew that Esme would have cleaned the house once she got back. She hates a messy, dusty house, and the house had to have a ton of dust after being empty for seven months.

Carlisle and Esme walked into the house then.

"Alice! Jasper! I'm so glad to see you again!" Esme said. She hugged first Alice, and then me.

"We're glad to be home, Esme." I said.

"Have you seen Bella?" Alice asked.

"Not yet." Carlisle answered.

"We thought that it would be best if we waited for Edward to get back before we went to see Bella." Esme added.

I could easily feel Alice's disappointment at not being able to see Bella again until Edward got back.

"Go on upstairs and get settled." Carlisle said.

Alice and I then headed upstairs to get unpacked.

Alice was still unhappy.

I walked up behind Alice and wrapped my arms around her. "You'll see Bella soon enough, Alice. Try and be happy. At least you know that you are going to be seeing her again." I reminded her.

"I know. It's just that Bella is my best friend and sister. I've missed her a lot." Alice said.

"We all have missed her a lot. We are going to be seeing her again." I told her once more.

* * *

~Rosalie POV~

The plane that we were on was getting closer and closer to the Seattle airport before we would be able to get to Forks.

Emmett was practically bouncing up and down in his seat like a child who was beyond excited on Christmas morning.

I rolled my eyes at the way Emmett was acting. "Emmett! Would you calm down?" I hissed through my teeth, too low for any human to hear, even the ones who were right behind or in front of us.

Emmett looked over at me. "Come on, Rose. It will be the first time that we've seen our family in a while. Besides, I'm really glad that we're going to be able to see Bella again soon." Emmett said.

"I get that, but please stay still. You're going to start bouncing the plane if you don't." I told him.

Emmett just rolled his eyes at my words.

Sometimes, Emmett reminded me of a child. The way he acted could just be so cute, and sometimes it could be really annoying.

Though I had some trouble admitting it, I was looking forward to seeing Bella again, too.

I did act like I hated her for two reasons.

One, she was human. I loved Emmett and my entire family very much, but I miss being human, and I hated Bella for being what I wanted to be.

Two, Bella had caught Edward's eyes. As a human, every man who saw me looked my way, taken in completely by my looks. That happens even more now that I'm a vampire. But Edward never had looked at me in that way. It had been a serious blow to my ego that Edward hadn't looked at me that way. One look at Bella had been enough to capture his attention, and I'm vain enough to be angry about that.

But I could have killed Edward when he left Bella. Even I had to admit that Edward loved Bella and Bella loved Edward. It was just going to hurt them both deeply in the end, and I had been right.

I'm really glad that Edward has made the decision to go back to Bella now, but a lot of damage has already been done because of his original decision.

I've already decided that I am going to make a serious effort to be nicer to Bella. She is a part of this family now, so I needed to start acting like she is and start treating as a sister.

Our plane soon arrived in Seattle.

Once Emmett and I had all our luggage, we headed to my car and put it all in the trunk before getting into the car.

It didn't take us that long to get back to Forks.

Unsurprisingly, Esme greeted us at the door.

"Rosalie! Emmett! I'm glad to see you again!" Esme said as he hugged me and then Emmett hello.

"We're just glad to finally be back." Emmett said.

Alice then danced down the stairs.

Jasper was behind her. "It looks like almost all of us are back home now." Jasper stated.

"And the last one will be here in three hours." Alice said with confidence.

"Good to hear." I said.

"Yeah. I can kick his ass for all that he did to us." Emmett said.

"Emmett!" Esme scolded.

"It's true." Emmett said.

"Come on, Emmett. Let's get settled in." I said, steering Emmett for the stairs before Esme could get him and rake him over the coals for using that language and for talking about doing bodily harm to his brother.

Once in our room, Emmett and I started unpacking.

"So, are you going to be okay with Bella coming back into our lives?" Emmett asked as he put his things away.

"I'll be fine. I'm going to try to be nicer to her this time around. She is family, after all." I replied.

"That's good. I know that Edward will be happy to hear about that." Emmett said.

"Edward isn't the issue. I'm doing this because I want to. Besides, I'm thinking about decking Edward the next time I see him for everything that he has put this family through and for everything that he has done to Bella." I said.

Emmett grinned. "I would pay good money to see something like that." Emmett said.

Always into a good fight.

* * *

~Edward POV~

The plane ride to Forks seemed to take forever.

I knew that the rest of my family was already back in Forks, and I hated that I wasn't already back, too.

All I wanted to do was get back to Forks so that I could go and see my Bella again.

After what seemed like an eternity to me, and that's saying something coming from a vampire, the plane finally arrived in Seattle. I got off the plane as soon as was possible and headed for the parking lot since the only luggage I had was carry on.

I headed right for my silver Volvo.

My original plan had been to just run from Seattle to Forks, but Carlisle had gotten in touch with me and convinced me to drive the Volvo back to Forks instead.

I had reluctantly agreed.

I threw my bags into the car and jumped in before I started to speed toward Forks.

I didn't go straight to my house.

There was one stop that I desperately needed to make before I headed on home.

Bella's.

I needed to make sure that Bella was all right for the sake of my own sanity.

As soon as I got to her house, I jumped in through the open window.

Bella was sleeping on her side, curled up into a ball. Her head was laying on one arm while her other arm was stretched out. Most of her hair fell down her back while the rest came over her shoulder in front of her.

She looked and smelled the same.

A smile formed on my lips as I gazed at the girl who had changed my entire existence.

I was whole again.

I was home.

I walked forward and gently brushed my hand against Bella's warm cheek. She seemed to lean into my touch in her sleep. I smiled at that.

It was then that I noticed something.

Bella was much paler than she was the last time I had seen her. She was nearly as pale as I was! And I'm a vampire! Technically dead!

Bella also looked much thinner than I remember her being.

What had happened to her?

I also realized that Charlie was not in the house. I couldn't smell him. In fact, his scent was stale, as if he had not been there in some time. Odd.

What all had changed since I left?

Bella then shifted in her sleep, her hands clenching into fists. "No, Edward, please! Don't go!" Bella cried.

I was startled.

I had left to protect her from what I am, and all I ended up doing was hurt her.

Alice was right.

Carlisle was right.

Esme was right.

They were all right in the end.

I had only hurt Bella by leaving her as I did.

Emmett was right when he said that I needed a kick in the ass for all that I have done to Bella.

"I'll be back, Bella. I will fix this." I murmured softly to her. I leaned down and gently kissed Bella on the forehead before I jumped out of the window.

I had to get home.

I was welcomed back by everyone, and I could tell from their thoughts that they were glad that I had decided to come back.

_It's good he is doing what is best for both of them._- Carlisle

_Edward and Bella will both be happy now._- Esme

_About damn time!_- Emmett

_I'm glad that he's back and that Bella will be back soon._- Rosalie

_I get my brother and my best friend back!_- Alice

_I know things will be better now._- Jasper

It was good to be back home.

"Before we do anything, I think we need to hunt." Carlisle said.

I then noticed that everyone in the family had black eyes besides Alice and Jasper.

I wanted to argue, but I knew that Carlisle was right about this.

We went hunting.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed it.

Next: Jasper finds Bella injured.

R&R.


	3. Panic

Here's the next chapter.

Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Stephanie Meyer, not me.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 3- Panic

~Jasper POV~

The morning came, and it was a cloudy, overcast morning, a normality for the city of Forks.

Edward, Rosalie, Emmett, and Esme were all out hunting up in the mountains.

Carlisle wants us all to be full when we see Bella.

No one blames him. We all need to be full so that we don't run the risk of attacking her. We don't want a repeat of what happened at her birthday party.

I still feel guilty about attacking Bella that night, so I hope that Bella will forgive me for it.

The hospital in Forks had been thrilled at the prospect of having Carlisle back on staff, so he was working at the hospital.

Edward, Rosalie, Emmett, and Esme hadn't fed in a while, so hunting would take them a little while.

Alice and I had hunted regularly, so we didn't feel the need to go hunting with the rest of our family.

However, I was feeling restless, and Alice was so down that I needed to get away for a little while.

I got up and headed for the door.

"Jasper, where are you going?" Alice asked.

I turned to face her. "I'm a little restless, so I'm going to take a run." I told her.

"Don't let anyone see you." Alice warned.

"Alice, there is not a human alive that could possibly see me as fast as I'm going." I pointed out.

"You know what I mean." Alice said.

"Everyone in town will already know that we are back since they will know that Carlisle is back at the hospital. He'll tell everyone that the whole family is back." I said.

"I know." Alice said glumly.

I knew what Alice's problem really was. She wanted to go and see Bella badly and I knew that it irritated Alice to death that she had to wait for the whole family before she could go and see Bella again.

"You'll see Bella soon enough, Alice." I said.

"I know, Jasper. I just wish that I could go and see her already." Alice said.

"You will. I just think that Edward has a right to be there when we all see her for the first time." Jasper said.

"He has seen her whereas I haven't had the chance to see her yet." Alice muttered. She drew her legs up onto the couch and wrapped her arms around her legs.

Edward had told us all of stopping by Bella's house to see her before he came on to the house when he first got back to Forks. He had told us of her paleness and the suspected weight loss. It had us all worried.

"Alice, it will be fine. We will see Bella soon enough, and we will sort out all of her health issues." I said.

"I know." Alice said.

"I'll be back." I told her. I then walked out of the house and then I started running through the forest.

Running was exhilarating. Edward wasn't the only one who thought that. The wind and trees rushing past me always helped to calm me down and clear my thoughts.

I feared that Bella would not forgive any of us for leaving her the way we did, and I worried about what that would do to our family.

Edward especially.

Running helped me to push those thoughts and fears aside.

For now.

* * *

~Edward POV~

I had wanted to go and see Bella the moment that it was morning. I wanted to explain to her why I did what I did. I needed to talk to her and get her to understand the reasons why I had hurt her so much.

But Carlisle had made a good point as he always does. We all needed to be full when we saw Bella again.

I knew that I hadn't hunted like I should have when I was gone. Since I left Forks, I only hunted once a month, if that. So I needed to hunt. Badly.

I was out hunting with Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett.

Emmett had just finished off a grizzly bear. "My favorite!" Emmett said with a satisfied smile on his face.

Rose shook her head. "Emmett, when you eat, a person would think that you were raised by wolves." Rose said.

"I wouldn't mind killing a wolf, but there's no way in hell that I would eat one!" Emmett said, a look of disgust on his face at the thought of eating one.

Werewolves were the natural enemies of vampires, so no vampire liked wolves on any level.

"Come on, Emmett. We need to go and tack down more grizzlies." Esme said. She hadn't had one yet.

Like Emmett, Esme preferred the taste of grizzly bears to any other animal.

Rosalie preferred mountain lion like I did.

"Come on, Edward. Let's go find ourselves some mountain lions for breakfast." Rosalie said to me.

"Sure." I said.

We took off running, and it wasn't long before we caught the scent of a few mountain lions. We headed over to them.

Soon, Rose and I had eaten.

"I forgot how good mountain lions taste." I remarked.

Rose rolled her eyes. "You were the one who said that we needed to leave to protect Bella, and you were the one who thought that it would be a good idea to not hunt like you should. You only have yourself to blame." Rose said.

I glared at Rose. I knew that she was right, but I hated it when she would throw it in my face.

"I'm sorry, Edward, but it's the truth. We all told you that leaving Bella was a bad idea, but you refused to listen to us." Rose said.

"I know that leaving Bella was a mistake, Rose. The biggest mistake of my existence. I don't need you to remind me of that fact." I snapped before I walked off.

Rose was in front of me a second later. "Edward, are you planning on leaving Bella again?" Rose asked.

I was surprised by the question. "No. I am not leaving. Even if she doesn't forgive me, I'm not leaving. I'll stay to keep her safe." I answered.

"Good." Rose said, visibly relaxing.

"Why would you ask me that?" I asked with a frown. She was shielding her thoughts from me, so it was very frustrating for me to not know what Rose was thinking.

"Edward, I admit that I was wrong in my actions toward Bella before. You know the reason why. But Bella's a sister, and I'm going to be nicer to her now. I don't want to kill you for hurting her again." Rose said.

Now I understood. Rose wanted to make sure that I wasn't going to hurt Bella all over again.

"The family may have left before because it was what you wanted, but we won't follow you again. We don't want Bella to be hurt again." Rose said.

"Rosalie, I don't plan on leaving again. I won't hurt Bella again. I swear to that. If we leave again, we'll be taking Bella with us, if she wants to come." I said.

Rose nodded. "Good. I really don't think Esme would be happy if someone ended up killing you for being stupid." Rose said.

"Esme doesn't have to worry about that now." I said.

"Good. I'm sure that Esme will be thrilled to hear that." Rose said.

I was impressed with Rosalie. I never thought that I would see the day that she was not only accepting of Bella, but protective. I was hoping that Rose would be nicer to Bella. I wanted my whole family to be accepting of Bella.

"Come on, Edward. We should get back before Esme starts to worry about us." Rose said.

"Sure." I said.

We then started running.

* * *

~Jasper POV~

My run had helped to calm me down. I was glad to only be feeling my emotions. I could get very frustrating when I felt everyone around me.

I had stopped and was just standing in the forest, enjoying the silence and the beauty of the forest.

I knew that I needed to get back since Edward and the others would be returning from hunting soon.

And then Edward would go and see Bella and, hopefully, bring her back into our lives and our family.

The I smelt it.

Blood.

Human blood.

It wasn't the fact that I smelled human blood that caused me entire body to tense and freeze up. The particular scent of the blood is what caused me to freeze.

It was Bella.

I took off at my top speed in the direction that I smelt her blood. The smell burned my throat and made me want to drink. However, I was fighting against my thirst with every bit of will power that I had.

Soon, I burst into a clearing, and if my heart had still been beating, I'm certain that it would have stopped on the spot.

Bella was lying in the middle of the clearing on her side. Blood was pouring out of a gaping wound in her stomach. Bella's groans of pain and gasps for air told me how much pain she was in.

Finally, I broke out of my shocked state and raced over to her." Bella I said urgently, on the verge of panic, as I knelt down beside her.

Bella looked at me with a look of absolute pain on her face.

I could feel the pain that she felt, and I knew that she was in an intolerable amount of pain right now.

Bella had disbelief and shock on her face behind the pain. "J-j-j-Jas-per." was the only thing Bella managed to say before she lost consciousness.

I snapped into action. I whipped out my cell phone and dialed 911. I simply told them I'd found a severely injured girl who needed medical attention. I told them I would be on the road that lead to my house before I snapped my phone shut.

The, I reached down and picked Bella up in my arms before I started running for the road as fast as I could.

The smell of Bella's blood was killing me, but my concern for her well-being won in the end.

I made it to the road seconds before the ambulance showed up.

Paramedics jumped out of the ambulance.

"What happened?" one barked.

"I don't know. I was hiking and found her." I answered.

The paramedics then took Bella to the hospital.

I took out my phone and called Carlisle. "Carlisle, I was out running in the forest, and I found Bella. She was badly injured. An ambulance is taking her to the hospital now." I said.

"_Thanks, Jasper._" Carlisle said quickly before hanging up.

I then called Alice. "Alice, there is not time to explain. Get to the hospital in Forks now and bring me a change of clothes. I'll explain then." I siad.

Alice hung up without a word, reacting to my tone.

I then called Edward. "Edward, don't ask for an explanation. All four of you need to get to Forks Hospital now. I'll explain it when you get there." I said.

"_We're on our way, Jasper._" Edward said before hanging up.

There was no way that I was talking to Edward about what had happened to Bella over the phone although it would have been safer for me.

I then headed for the hospital.

* * *

~Carlisle POV~

Jasper's call had worried me about Bella's health, but nothing could have prepared me for what I saw.

The gaping wound in her stomach was horrific, and it was clear that she had lost far too much blood.

I began barking orders, telling nurses to get blood, plasma, and an operating room ready. Surgery was the only option.

As we rushed Bella to an operating room. I glanced at Bella's face.

Bella's face was paler than mine, and I'm a vampire. Even unconscious, Bella looked as if she was in horrific pain. And her wound was clearly life-threatening.

As we entered the operating room, I hoped that I would be able to walk out of there and tell Edward that Bella would survive.

I did not want to think about how Edward would react to such news.

As I prepared to start the operation, I called on every ounce of medical knowledge I had to save my son's soul mate, to save my daughter.

* * *

~Edward POV~

As Emmett drove at top speed, I thought about the quick phone call that I had gotten from Jasper.

It made no sense for us to go to the hospital because Jasper and Alice could not be injured in a way that humans could help them, not that Alice and Jasper would ever get hurt in the first place.

The only thing that made sense was that Jasper had not given me a vital piece of information for this to make sense.

Sudden fear gripped me as a singular thought passed through my mind that caused indescribable pain.

The only reason that Jasper would tell us to go to the hospital was if a human we know is there, and the only human that we know that we would care about being in the hospital is my Bella.

I hoped with every fiber of my being that nothing had happened to my Bella.

* * *

Hope you liked it. I'm not going into the medical field for job, so that's why the parts of this story about medical knowlege will be vague.

Next: Edward adn the others find out about Bella, and waiting to see what happens with Bella.

R&R.


	4. Explanation

Here's the next chapter.

I'm in college now, so updates will be slow. Thanks for understanding!

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 4- Explanation

~Carlisle POV~

In all my years as a doctor, I do not think that I have ever seen such injuries as the ones I was seeing on Bella.

I was constantly giving orders about what to do as I did with any surgery. Myself and the other doctor who was helping me with Bella were working as hard as we could to save Bella's life.

I never had a case that was so hard for me to do, but this was a lot different than all the other patients I had cared for in my three hundred years of practicing. In this case, I was trying to save the life of my own daughter.

My hope was that I would be successful in my endeavor to save her life.

* * *

~Jasper POV~

I arrived at Forks Hospital, hoping that Carlisle was the one helping Bella, and that he would be able to save her life.

Doctors, nurses, patients, and visitors were all giving me odd, shocked, or worried looks as I passed them.

I'm sure that they had all seen my blood-soaked shirt and pants and were wondering what had happened to me. I was having trouble keeping my cool with the scent of human blood all over my clothes, but I was able to remain composed, though it was difficult.

I walked up to the information desk and said, "Excuse me. Isabella Swan was brought in, and I wondered if you could tell me how she is."

The nurse at the desk looked shocked.

I was getting impatient and started to clench my hands into fists.

The nurse finally got over her shock and looked it up for me. "Um, she's in surgery at the moment. Your father is working on her." the nurse said.

"Thank you." I said.

Carlisle was working on Bella, so that meant that Bella was in the best hands possible right now.

"Are you all right?" the nurse asked.

"I'm fine. The blood isn't mine." I said.

The nurse simply nodded.

I walked to the side out of the way and leaned against the wall.

I hoped that Alice would get there soon. The smell of human blood was driving me crazy, and I needed to get out of my clothes fast. Besides, I wanted to be in clean clothes when Edward got there. It would be hard enough for Edward to keep his temper in check when he smelt Bella's blood on me without him seeing my clothes soaked in her blood.

Luck was not on my side.

I could easily pick out Edward's, Esme's, Rosalie's, and Emmett's scent headed my way.

I was screwed.

A moment later, I saw Edward.

Edward looked shocked, then angry.

I was so screwed.

* * *

~Edward POV~

The second that I walked into the hospital, I easily picked up the scent of human blood, which wasn't unusual.

What caught my attention was the fact that it was Bella's blood that I was smelling.

"Bella. She's here." I said.

Esme placed her hand on my arm. "Calm down, Edward. I'm sure that Bella will be fine." Esme said.

I nodded numbly, not really able to feel much.

'_I hope Bella will be okay. We can't lose her. Not when we just got back._' Rosalie thought.

'_I don't know who did this, and I don't care. I'm going to kill them for hurting Bella._' Emmett thought.

I agreed with both of them.

Soon, we arrived in the emergency room of the hospital.

The smell of Bella's blood was stronger here, and I also picked up Jasper's scent. I looked and saw Jasper.

I was completely shocked when I saw Jasper's clothes soaked in blood and then I felt anger flood me when I realized that it was Bella's blood that Jasper was soaked in.

I felt a strong hand on my arm and realized that Emmett was holding onto me.

'_Sorry, Edward, but we don't want you snapping and attacking Jasper. Esme wouldn't appreciate it, and none of us want you exposing us here._' Emmett told me through his thoughts.

"Edward." Esme said.

I turned to look at her.

"Stay calm and let Jasper explain." Esme said pleadingly.

I nodded although I was still angry.

We walked over to him.

"Edward, let me explain." Jasper said in a strained voice.

It was easy to tell that the smell of Bella's blood was making it hard for Jasper to stay in control.

"Jasper!" Alice's shocked voice gasped.

We all turned to see Alice standing there with a pile of clothes in her hands, a look of completely shock on her face.

"I'll explain in a minute." Jasper muttered quickly before he snatched the clothes from Alice and darted into the men's restroom.

"Well, I see-why he wanted me-to bring the clothes." Alice said, shocked that Jasper had been covered in Bella's blood.

"He had to ge tout of the clothes." Emmett said.

"What happened?" Alice asked.

"We're not sure." I said through clenched teeth, fighting with my anger at Jasper.

Alice looked stunned. "You mean, you didn't read his thoughts?" Alice asked.

"Edward was too busy with his anger to." Rosalie said.

A moment later, Jasper stepped out of the restroom in the clean clothes. He looked a little more relaxed.

"Jasper, what happened?" Esme asked.

"This conversation should take place in Carlisle's office. Away from prying ears." Jasper said, glancing around.

I realized that there were a lot of people around, and many of them watching us rather intently.

"Let's go." Alice said.

We headed for Carlisle's office.

I'd see what Jasper had to say before I killed him.

* * *

~Alice POV~

I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

I had walked into the hospital and saw Edward in front of Jasper. I could tell that Emmett had a hold on Edward, and it looked like Esme and Rosalie were trying to stop something big from happening.

Why would Edward want to attack my Jasper?

Then I saw and smelt Bella's blood all over him. "Jasper!" I gasped in shock.

Everyone turned to look at me.

"I'll explain in a minute." Jasper muttered before grabbing his clothes from me and heading into the men's restroom.

"Well, I see-why he asked me-to bring the clothes." I said, shocked that Jasper had been covered in my best friend's blood.

"He had to get out of the clothes." Emmett said.

"What happened?" I asked, needing to know why Jasper had Bella's blood all over him.

"We're not sure." Edward said, obviously angry.

"You mean, you didn't read his thoughts?" I asked, shocked. Edward always knew what we were thinking, and Jasper most certainly was thinking about why he had Bella's blood all over him.

"Edward was too busy with his anger to." Rosalie said.

I could understand why Edward was angry, but I would stop him from hurting my Jasper in his anger.

Jasper walked out of the restroom, looking more relaxed.

"Jasper, what happened?" Esme asked.

"This conversation should take place in Carlisle's study. Away from prying ears." Jasper said, his eyes sweeping across the room.

There were a lot of people around, and it was plainly clear that some of them were trying to listen in.

"Let's go." I said. I stepped beside Jasper and took his hand in mine. I squeezed his hands reassuringly.

Jasper glanced over at me and smiled slightly.

When I looked into Jasper's eyes, I knew that the reason Jasper had Bella's blood all over him was not because he had attacked Bella.

We all walked into Carlisle's office, and Rosalie shut the door since she was the last one to walk into the room.

"Before I explain," Jasper said, looking Edward in the eye, "I want you to know that I did not attack Bella, Edward. I still feel guilty about the last time, and I wouldn't do it again."

Edward was quiet for a moment before he visibly relaxed. "I believe you, Jasper." Edward said.

"Thank you, Edward." Jasper said sincerely.

I was glad Edward believed him. I know I did believe Jasper.

Emmett looked unsure if he should let go of Edward.

"It's okay, Emmett. Edward won't attack me." Jasper said.

Emmett hesitated for a moment before he let go of Edward, but he remained close to Edward just in case.

"What happened, Jasper?" Edward said calmly, although his voice was strained.

I was sure that the strain had come from his worry over Bella and wondering if she would make it.

I had the same worry and fear.

"Well, while you were gone hunting, I went out for a run. I needed to clear my head. Plus, Alice's gloomy mood was killing me." Jasper said.

"I was not in a gloomy mood!" I said indignantly.

"Alice, I'm sorry, but you were acting gloomy because you couldn't see Bella then." Jasper replied.

I knew that Jasper was right about that, but I hated being told that.

"Back to the point." Rosalie said, impatient as ever.

"Right. I stopped at one point and was about to head back to the house when I caught the scent of Bella's blood, and it was easy to tell that there was a lot of it. I headed in that direction." Jasper said.

"Your instincts took over?" Esme asked.

"No. I was fighting them. I went to see if she was all right." Jasper said, giving Esme a reassuring smile.

"And?" Emmett prodded.

"I found her in a clearing." Jasper said. He then seemed to hesitate.

"Jasper, what?" Edward asked tensely.

"Well, there's no easy way to describe this. She had a serious injury to her stomach, as if something had tried to rip her stomach out." Jasper said.

Edward tensed even more, and the expression on his face was a mixture of horror, disgust, and anger.

I knew that Edward and read his mind and saw what Jasper had seen. It couldn't have been a good picture.

Esme placed her hand on Edward's arm.

Emmett looked ready to restrain Edward if necessary.

Jasper was way ahead of them. He sent out enough calming waves in the room to calm Edward down.

Edward looked at Jasper.

"Sorry, but we don't need you losing control of your temper." Jasper said.

Edward nodded. "Go on." Edward said.

"I ran over to her. I won't deny that I was fighting my instincts. Bella was semi-conscious. Even though she was in all that pain, she still looked shocked to see me. She said my name as if she wasn't sure if I was real or not. I called for an ambulance before I ran Bella to the road." Jasper said.

We all looked at him in shock.

"You managed that with all that blood?" Emmett asked.

"Yeah. I don't know how I managed it." Jasper said.

I squeezed his arm. "The point is that you did." I said.

"She's right." Esme added.

"Well, once the ambulance got her, I called Carlisle and told him to watch for her. I then called all of you and here we are." Jasper said.

"Where's Bella now?" Edward asked.

"In surgery. I asked at the reception desk when I got here, and Carlisle is the one handling the operation." Jasper said.

"At least Bella has the best doctor possible. No one is better than Carlisle." Rosalie said.

"Alice, have you seen anything?" Edward asked.

"No. I haven't." I said. I had been trying to see what the outcome of all this would be, but I wasn't able to see anything. It meant that we would just have to wait to see what happens with Bella.

"What now?" Emmett asked.

"We have to wait." I said.

* * *

~Carlisle POV~

It's been touch and go throughout this whole operation. We've nearly lost Bella several times, and each time was almost to the point that it would have had to have been called, but I never gave up on her.

Bella's injuries were severe, and the blood loss alone could have ended her life.

But I would not give up on her. I couldn't.

I would make sure that my daughter survived.

* * *

Hope you liked it.

Next: Seeing if Bella makes it or not.

R&R.


	5. Result

Here's the next chapter.

I apologize for the delay, but I'm back in college now, so my updates won't be that fast right now.

Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Chapter 5- Result

~Edward POV~

We were all waiting to hear some news on Bella's condition. We were all worried and afraid of what Carlisle would tell us.

After Jasper had explained to us what happened, I felt nothing but gratitude toward him. If it hadn't been for him, Bella would have died out there in that forest.

Alone.

The thought sent a shudder down my spine.

I could hear all the thoughts of my family, and I knew that they were worried about Bella, as well.

'_Why can't they tell us anything? I want to know how my sister's doing!_'- Emmett

'_This is taking too long. Someone needs to tell us how Bella is already!_'- Rosalie

'_I hope Bella is okay. I wish I could see what will happen._'- Alice

'_I hope Bella will be okay. This family needs her to be complete._' - Jasper

'_Carlisle has to save her. We can't lose Bella. Our family won't be complete without her._'- Esme

Esme's right.

The family won't be complete without Bella. I won't be complete without Bella.

The mere thought of having to live in a world where Bella didn't exist was far too painful a thought for me to even think about. I hoped that I would not have to know that feeling for quite some time.

It seemed like an eternity had passed, but there was still no word on Bella's condition.

It was driving me crazy!

Jasper sighed before he stood up and started to leave. '_My worry over Bella is bad enough, Edward. Our entire family is going to kill me. I have to get away. I'll be on the roof._' Jasper said to me through his thoughts.

I nodded my head slightly; a movement that would be imperceptible to any human, letting Jasper know I heard him.

Jasper then headed out the door.

The rest of the family watched Jasper leave before they turned to me, waiting for an explanation.

"Our emotions were getting to him. Jasper's worried enough about Bella, but our emotions added to that is only making it that much harder for Jasper." I explained.

"Poor Jasper." Esme murmured.

I knew how Jasper felt. I could hear everyone's thoughts about how worried they were about Bella. My own thoughts on the possible outcome were bad enough without hearing my entire family's thoughts.

But unlike Jasper, I just couldn't leave. I had to stay until I knew what was happening with Bella. I couldn't leave until I knew how she was.

Alice stood up. "I'm going to check on Jasper." Alice said before she left.

I understood Alice's need to go and make sure that Jasper is all right. If I was able to, I would do the same with Bella.

But I just couldn't see Bella right now.

All I could do was trust in Carlisle and hope that things turned out the way I wanted them to.

* * *

~Jasper POV~

I had wanted to stay and be there when Carlisle came out to tell us how Bella was, but the emotions that my family was feeling made it too hard. My own worry and fear was enough without feeling everyone else's, too. My family couldn't help how they felt, and I didn't blame them for it, but I had to get away before I lost my mind.

A hand was placed on my shoulder, and I didn't need to smell her scent to know that it was Alice.

"Jazz, are you all right?" Alice asked.

I turned to her. "I'll be okay. Too much worry and fear. I just needed to get away from it all." I said.

"Do you need me to go?" Alice asked although I could tell that leaving was the last thing that she wanted to do.

I wrapped my arms around Alice's waist and pulled her close to me. "No, Alice. I don't want you to go." I said.

Alice leaned her head against me. "We can't help how worried we are about Bella." Alice said.

"I know, Alice, and I don't blame the family. It just gets overwhelming." I said. I grew quiet for a moment. "Edward's emotions are the worst." I added.

"He's afraid that he's going to lose her." Alice said softly.

"I know. I don't fault him for it." I said.

We fell into comfortable silence.

As I stood there, I became thankful that I had Alice. I didn't know what I'd do if I lost her. I couldn't imagine my life without Alice in it.

I realized I would probably feel the same way that Edward felt now. I knew that the only thing that was keeping him from insanity was the knowledge that Bella had a chance of surviving.

I wasn't sure what Edward would do if Bella did not survive.

And I'm not sure that I would want to know what Edward would do if we were faced with that situation.

* * *

~Rosalie POV~

I can't read minds like Edward can, and I can't feel the emotions of the people around me like Jasper can, but I didn't need those abilities to tell me what my family was thinking and feeling.

We were all hoping that Bella would be okay.

None of us knew what we would find out when Carlisle came out, but we knew that whatever he said would end up changing everything.

I glanced over at Emmett. I was very worried for Bella, and I felt sorry for Edward, but I couldn't help feeling thankful that I had Emmett her beside me. I was glad that I could see Emmett and know without a doubt that he was all right.

I saw Edward flinch at this.

'_Sorry, Edward. I didn't-_' my thoughts trailed off, unsure of how to word it.

Edward nodded, letting me know that he understood. He wouldn't hold simply being thankful that my husband was safe against me.

I knew that Edward was more focused on Bella and more concerned about her well-being than anything else right now.

'_She'll be all right, Edward. Bella is very strong, and she's just as stubborn as you are. Bella's not going to give up without a fight._' I told him.

Edward gave me a small smile that didn't reach his eyes. He was grateful for my support.

* * *

~Esme POV~

Not knowing what was happening with Bella was driving me crazy. I wanted to know how my daughter was doing.

I knew that the entire family feels the same way I do. We all want to know how Bella is doing, and it's driving us all crazy not knowing.

I could understand why Jasper needed to leave. Feeling all of us could not have been easy on him since he was already feeling his own worry and fear. Ours could not have helped Jasper in any way.

I knew that it had to be hard for Edward to listen to our thoughts in combination with his own, but he wasn't going to leave until he talked to Carlisle and found out what Bella's condition was and if she would make it.

I saw the silent exchange between Rosalie and Edward. I assumed that Rosalie was trying to reassure Edward.

We all needed some level of reassurance at the moment because none of us were confident in what would happen with Bella.

I knew that Carlisle was probably the best doctor in the world with three centuries of medical knowledge and practice on his side, but I still wondered what would happen. I hoped that Carlisle would be able to save her.

I couldn't lose my daughter. I couldn't handle losing another child. I didn't want to go through that again.

* * *

~Emmett POV~

This was nerve-wracking!

All this waiting was working on my last nerve. I'm not a patient vampire, and I'm even more impatient in this situation because I just want to know if my new little sister is going to be all right.

I did know that once I knew how Bella was, I was going to do everything in my power to find out who had done this to her and then I was going to hunt them down and make them pay for what they did to my sister.

Edward caught my eye and nodded his head. He agreed with me on getting revenge for whoever did this.

It wouldn't surprise me if even Carlisle wanted to find out who did this to Bella, although he might not agree with the getting revenge part.

Again, Edward nodded.

Well, I think that Edward, Rose, Alice, Jasper, and I would be able to handle the revenge thing without help from Carlisle and Esme.

Again, Edward nodded.

I'm on the right track today, but all that is going to have to wait until we find out how Bella is doing.

* * *

~Alice POV~

"Jazz, feeling better yet?" I asked.

"Yeah. I've recovered. It was just a lot of emotion, and mine alone was bad enough without having everyone else's added onto it. That was just a little too much in this case." Jasper answered.

I nodded. I know that something like this brought on a lot of negative emotion, and I know that it was harder for Jasper to handle all that negative emotion than it is for him to handle positive emotions.

Jasper sighed. "Well, we had better get back to the rest of the family." Jasper said.

I looked up at him. "Are you sure?" I asked.

"Yeah. I should be able to handle all the emotions for a while. Beside, I want to be there when Carlisle comes to tell us how Bella is." Jasper said.

"All right. Let's go." I said, taking Jasper's hand in mine.

Together, we headed back to the waiting room.

* * *

~Carlisle POV~

The operation ended successfully. With all the injuries Bella had, it was a miracle that we were able to save her.

I could hear the other doctor and the nurses congratulating me on a successful surgery, but I did not consider the surgery a success.

Not yet.

Bella was still in critical condition, so until her condition started improving, I would not consider the surgery a success.

Edward was right about Bella.

Bella had lost far too much weight since we left, and she was now borderline underweight. The weight loss was one of the factors that made her survival so surprising. The other factor was the amount of blood Bella had lost. Bella had lost a great deal of blood, which was something else that concerned me.

We moved Bella from the ER to a room and set her up in the room.

I turned to the nurse. "Keep a close eye on her. Anything can still happen." I said.

"I will, Dr. Cullen." the nurse said before she walked off.

I looked back over at Bella. '_What happened to you, Bella? What did this to you?_' I asked silently.

* * *

~Edward POV~

I wasn't sure how much longer I was going to be able to stay patient. I just wanted to know how my Bella was.

Alice and Jasper returned to the waiting room and walked over to us.

"Bella just came out of surgery. She's in a room now." Alice said quietly.

There was no reason for any of us to doubt Alice. She spoke with such certainty that we all knew that Bella was now out of surgery.

But there was still one thing that was weighing heavily on my mind.

"Will she survive, Alice?" I asked.

Everyone was anxious as they waited for an answer.

Alice closed her eyes and concentrated.

I could easily see Alice's thoughts, and I knew the answer.

"I don't know. The future is blurry at the moment." Alice said in the same quiet tone.

It meant that the future was uncertain, and we would have to wait and see what happened with Bella.

We all then started to walk to where Bella's room was. We may not have known what the room number was that she was in now, but we could easily follow her scent to find out where she was at now.

Carlisle was in the room with Bella. So was a human.

When we could look in the window, Carlisle was talking to the nurse.

If my heart had been beating, I'm sure that it would have stopped from shock.

Bella was in the bed, hooked up to several machines. She had an IV in her arm. She was also being given oxygen. She was even paler than when I saw her last night.

Last night.

It seems like a decade has passed since I saw Bella in her room, asleep. If I has stayed and waited until she woke up to talk to her, maybe this wouldn't have happened.

I could easily feel the guilt building up.

'_Edward._' Jasper said.

I glanced over at him. '_Don't start with the guilt. You couldn't have known that this would end up happening. Don't let it get to you. Jut be thankful that Bella is still alive now._' Jasper told me.

I nodded.

Once the nurse left, all six of us were in the room with Carlisle and Bella.

I could tell from Carlisle's thoughts that he was still concerned for Bella. He wasn't as confident as his co-workers that the surgery was a success. Carlisle wouldn't feel it was a success until he knew for a fact that Bella would survive.

I swiftly moved to Bella's side, taking her hand in mine.

"How is she, Carlisle?" Esme asked, motherly concern evident in her voice and in her thoughts.

"She's still critical, but she's stable for the moment. She had tremendous blood loss. She also had several broken ribs. Her left wrist was shattered, her right ankle twisted, and a possible concussion." Carlisle said.

It wasn't anything that any of us wanted to hear.

"How long before you know if she'll make it?" Rosalie asked.

"The next forty-eight to seventy-two hours will be critical. Once past that, I would say that she'll make it." Carlisle said.

We all fell silent.

I could tell through Jasper's thoughts that there was a lot of tension in the room, and it was killing Jasper to have to feel it all.

"So, what can we do?" Emmett asked.

"There is not much that can be done for Bella. We'll do all that we can for her here." Carlisle said.

"Well, I think that I'm going to head back to where I found Bella in the forest." Jasper said.

"Why?" Alice asked.

"Well, I didn't pay much attention to much except Bella. Maybe I can figure out what happened to her." Jasper said.

"I'll go, too." Emmett said.

"Just look. If you figure out what happened, don't react. Come back and tell us first." Carlisle said.

"We will." Jasper assured him.

Jasper and Emmett left.

"Rose. Alice. See if you can't track down Charlie. He should know that Bella is here." Carlisle said.

"Okay." Alice said.

Alice and Rosalie left.

"I have to get back to work." Carlisle said before he left.

Esme walked over to me. "Edward, she will be all right." Esme said.

"I just wish that I could believe that." I said quietly.

"Bella is strong. She'll be fine." Esme said. She looked over at Bella. "Bella won't give up so easily." Esme said.

I knew Bella was strong, but I didn't know for sure that she would live.

"I'll go help Alice and Rose." Esme said before leaving.

I sat down in the chair by the bed, never letting go of her hand.

Bella was as beautiful as she had always been to me. I now knew that leaving was the biggest, stupidest mistake of my entire existence. I just hoped that Bella could forgive me for my mistake.

"I love you, Bella. Please come back to me." I whispered.

* * *

Hope you liked it.

Next: The Cullens find out a few things.

R&R.


	6. Findings

Here's the next chapter.

Between school and an emergency in the family, I haven't managed to do much. Sorry for the long wait.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 6- Findings

~Jasper POV~

I had needed to leave the hospital to get away from the tension, worry, and fear that my family felt. I also needed to get away from all the humans. The smell of human blood was strong, and I was afraid that I would lose control of myself, and that was the last thing I wanted.

I remembered that I hadn't paid that much attention to what smells had been around when I found Bella, so I figured that I could make good use of my time and go see what I could learn.

It didn't surprise me that Emmett wanted to tag along. He wouldn't want to sit around the hospital like Edward would.

Once we were on the outskirts of town and after making sure that no one was around, Emmett and I took off running, darting through the forest.

Since I knew where to go, I led.

Running normally gave me a sense of peace and calmness, but I was not able to feel that this time. Most likely because I knew that I was going to find out what had happened to Bella. The anxiety made it impossible for me to find running relaxing on any level.

Once I knew that I was in the right place, I stopped.

So did Emmett.

It was easy to smell Bella's blood in the air. The red stain on the ground was another sign that we were in the right place.

"Well, this is it." Emmett said, grimacing.

Emmett didn't like seeing or smelling our sister's blood anymore than I did.

"Okay. As hard as this will be, we need to try to ignore the smell of Bella's blood." I said, knowing that it would be very difficult.

"What are we looking for?" Emmett asked.

"Any sign of who or what might have done this to Bella. A track, a smell. Anything will do." I said.

Emmett nodded his understanding.

We then started to search around, trying our best to ignore the smell of human blood.

"Jazz! Over here!" Emmett called.

I ran over to him.

"Look at this." Emmett said, motioning to the ground.

I saw that there were some footprints. "Emmett, those could be from anyone." I stated.

"Not likely. There was a rain shower last night, remember? It would have washed away any footprints." Emmett said.

"For once, you've made a good point, Emmett." I said, surprised by his thoughtfulness.

"I know." Emmett said, proud of himself.

I looked closer and noticed something. "There are two sets of footprints here. Someone was out here with Bella." I said.

"Or someone was chasing Bella." Emmett added.

I had to admit that Emmett was right. The foot impressions went deep into the ground, indicating that Bella had been running.

"I want to know who it was." Emmett said, clenching his fists in anger.

"Calm down, Emmett. You'll know who to kill soon enough." I said.

"How do we find out?" Emmett asked.

"We'll follow the trail and backtrack. The smell of blood is too powerful. We might pick up the scent of Bella's attacker if we get further away from the blood." I said.

"Whatever you say, Jazz." Emmett said.

We then started to follow the trail backwards in hopes of figuring out who it was that had attacked and tried to kill Bella.

* * *

~Alice POV~

Esme, Rosalie, and I had decided to go to Bella's house first. We figured that it was a good place to start looking for Charlie.

I got the spare key that Bella had kept hidden and unlocked the door.

We walked into the house and looked around.

Dust was everywhere, signaling that it had been awhile since the house had been dusted. The room looked exactly how I remembered it from the last time I was here.

"I thought that Bella cleaned on a regular basis." Esme said.

Rosalie groaned. "Esme, please don't start cleaning." Rosalie said.

"I didn't plan to." Esme replied.

"Esme, you cannot stand to have a dusty house. In fact, you can't stand to be in any place that is dusty." Rosalie said.

I frowned and sniffed the air. "Hmm. Just like Edward said." I mused.

"What?" Esme asked.

I turned to face Esme and Rosalie. "Smell the air. Take note of Charlie's scent." I said.

Esme and Rosalie both sniffed the air.

"Charlie's scent is stale." Esme stated.

"Edward was right. Charlie hasn't been here in a while." I said.

Esme frowned. "Charlie would not have abandoned Bella." Esme said.

"I know. I just don't understand why he has been here in a while." I said.

Rosalie walked into the kitchen. It was easy to tell that Rosalie was going through the cabinets and the refrigerator.

Esme sighed. "Rose, please stop going trough everything. This is Bella's home, and we don't need to intrude too much." Esme said.

"There's hardly any food in this house. I don't see how Bella planned on eating." Rosalie said as she walked back to us.

"Well, Edward and Carlisle both said that Bella had lost a lot of weight. She hasn't been taking care of herself." I said, not liking the thought of Bella purposely not taking care of herself.

"That is something that is going to change. Bella's going to gain that weight back." Esme said determinedly.

I knew that Bella was going to get healthy again whether she wanted to or not. There were seven vampires who were going to make sure that she got healthy again and stayed that way.

"We'd better check around the house." Rosalie said.

The three of us then started to walk around the house.

I wound up in Bella's room.

The room hadn't changed much. There were some new things in the room that hadn't been there before, and there were some things that had been in the room before that were no longer there.

I then noticed that Bella's laptop was on. I knocked it off the screensaver and saw that it was on Bella's e-mail. I was shocked at what I found.

"Did you find something, Alice?" Esme asked.

I turned to face her. "Bella's computer was on her e-mail. It looks like she has been e-mailing me regularly since we left." I said.

"Didn't you cancel that e-mail account so that Bella couldn't contact you?" Rosalie asked.

"It was so I couldn't contact her, but yes. Bella kept e-mailing me, even thought the e-mails always failed." I said, looking back at the computer.

"Well, we didn't find anything." Esme said.

I shook my head. "It doesn't make sense. Charlie's scent should be strong. It's not, so he hasn't been here in quite some time. It's not in Charlie's character to just leave like this. Something is very wrong here." I said.

"There is nothing we can do here. We might as well head back to the hospital and see how Bella is doing." Esme said.

We then left the house.

Something had to have happened for Charlie to not be around, and I was sure that it wasn't a good thing.

* * *

~Emmett POV~

Jasper and I followed Bella's scent backwards. We found ourselves walking a good distance back in human terms.

"How far could she have gone?" I asked.

"I don't know, Emmett. We're not sure what was chasing her. We'll find out soon enough." Jasper said as we continued walking.

We kept on following Bella's scent, and it wasn't long before I realized that we were getting closer and closer to town.

"This must have started somewhere in town and progressed into the forest." Jasper said, thinking logically.

"Yeah. I guess so. I don't see why someone didn't see Bella or try to help her." I said a little upset.

"It could be that no one was around to help her, Emmett. Humans don't have the sharp senses that we do, and it may be that Bella didn't do anything to draw attention to what was going on. There's any number of reasons as to why no one helped Bella or knew that she was in danger." Jasper said.

I rolled my eyes. "Stop talking logically, Jazz. I just want to find out who did this to my sister so that I know who to kill." I said.

Jasper sighed. "Emmett, you know what Carlisle said. Even if we find out who did this, we can't go after them yet. We have to go back and-" Jasper stopped mid-sentence as his entire body froze.

I stopped and turned to look at him. "What?" I asked.

Jasper's eyes were wide, and he looked tense. It was the way he looked when about to fight except his eyes were wide instead of narrowed. His hands were clenched into tight fists, and he was trembling as if he were fighting hid anger.

Immediately, my body tensed, and I started to look around for danger. "Jasper, what is it?" I asked.

"Don't you smell it?" Jasper hissed.

"No." I said.

"Emmett, focus on Bella's scent and the one with hers." Jasper said.

I did what he said and focused. I growled when I smelled what Jasper had. "Victoria!" I snarled angrily.

Victoria had come back, and she had attacked Bella. We had all assumed that she would come after Edward for killing her mate, James. Edward may have killed James to protect Bella, but Victoria would still want revenge for Edward killing James. Instead, Victoria had targeted Bella.

"No one helped Bella because no one knew. A human wouldn't have known that Victoria was after Bella." Jasper said.

"We know who to go after now." I spat.

"Come on. We have to tell Carlisle. We're going to have to make plans. Victoria will come after Bella again." Jasper said.

I nodded, knowing that he was right.

We then headed for town to inform the others.

* * *

~Edward POV~

I hadn't left Bella's side since she had gotten out of surgery, and I wasn't going to leave until Bella was able to leave the hospital. There was no way that I was going to let Bella out of my sight.

I know that some of the nurses are wondering why I won't leave. They think that I don't care about Bella because of the fact that I left her the way I did.

I get slightly angry when I hear these thoughts because Bella means the world to me. Those nurses don't have the slightest clue as to how much I love Bella. However, those thoughts cause me to ask myself something else.

What does Bella think? Does she believe that I don't' love her as well? Does she still believe what I told her in the forest that day? How much has she hurt because of me? How much has she cried?

These questions have been tormenting me for the last few hours.

The door to the room opened, and Carlisle walked in.

I knew that Carlisle had been running tests on Bella. "What are the results?" I asked.

"I've found nothing out-of-the-ordinary other than the obvious weight loss and blood loss." Carlisle said.

"That's good." I said.

"Yes, but I'll feel better when Bella wakes up." Carlisle said.

"That could be a while." I said glumly.

_'Edward, I know that this is hard, but be thankful that she is alive. If any human stands a chance of living though this, it's Bella_.' Carlisle said to me through his thoughts.

I nodded. "Bella is the strongest human that I have ever met, not to mention the fact that she is the most stubborn human I have ever met. I suppose if any human could survive injuries like this, it's Bella." I agreed.

"Yes. I never thought that you would be outdone in stubbornness, but Bella may have you beat." Carlisle said.

"We all knew that." Rose said.

Carlisle and I looked over at where Esme, Rose, and Alice were.

Esme shut the door behind them before she walked over to stand by Carlisle.

"Did you find Charlie?" I asked. I wasn't sure if I really wanted to know the answer to that question.

After leaving and hurting Bella the way I did, I have no doubt that Charlie Swan would love to take his gun and shoot me, which would expose us since no bullet could penetrate my skin. I couldn't blame him if he does hate me, especially since I'm probably the reason that Bella has lost so much weight.

"Sorry, Edward. We checked the house, and Charlie's scent was stale like you said. We searched the house, but didn't find any clues to where we might be." Alice said.

"There wasn't that much food in the house, so I don't see how one person planned to eat, much less two." Rose said.

Esme looked at Alice then Carlisle then me. "We did find one thing, although it doesn't help us find Charlie." Esme said.

"What did you find?" I asked.

"I looked in Bella's room for clues, and I found her laptop on. It was on her e-mail. It looks like Bella was e-mailing me the entire time we were gone." Alice said.

"I thought that you cancelled that account." Carlisle said.

"I did. Bella kept e-mailing me anyway. I don't know why." Alice said.

"It may have given Bella some comfort to continue." Carlisle said.

My hand tightened around Bella's, although I made sure not to hold her hand too tightly.

"So, now what?" Rose asked.

"For now, we wait until Jasper and Emmett return. They may have found some answers for us." Carlisle said.

I was hoping that Jasper and Emmett would find out something. I really wanted to know who had done this to Bella so that I could kill them. Even if Emmett and Jasper didn't find out who had done it, I would find out one way or another so that I could kill them.

No one hurt my Bella and got away with it.

It was then that Jasper and Emmett came in.

To a human, they would have appeared to be calm and collected.

To me and my family, they were angry and tense.

They knew who had done this.

"What-" Carlisle started.

"She came back! That little bitch came back and targeted Bella!" Emmett hissed.

My entire body froze when I read their thoughts and found out who it was that had tried to kill Bella.

"Who? Who did this?" Alice demanded.

"Victoria." Jasper snarled.

* * *

Hope you liked it.

Next: The Cullens plan on what to do.

R&R.


	7. Planning

Here's the next chapter.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 7- Planning

~Alice POV~

I couldn't believe it. While we were gone, Victoria had come back to get revenge for her mate's death, and since we all had left, Bella became her target. We left Bella in the worst possible danger.

What I didn't understand was why I didn't see any of this beforehand.

We all were silent in Bella's hospital room after Jasper had announced that Victoria was the reason that Bella was in the hospital, fighting for her life.

Esme was the first to regain the use of her voice. "Are you certain that it was her?" Esme asked.

"No doubt. We were able to follow Bella's scent backwards, and we picked up Victoria's scent. She was certainly the one that attacked Bella." Jasper said.

"We also think that this started in town. We followed the trail back into town." "Emmett added.

"It explains why the attack happened as it did. Victoria could not have attacked Bella in town without revealing what she was to the entire town." Carlisle said.

"Then why did Bella run into the woods instead of running into town if she was confronted by Victoria?" Rosalie asked.

"Because it's Bella." Edward said his voice strained from worry and anger.

We all turned to look at Edward.

"What do you mean?" Esme asked.

"Bella's a selfless person. She always puts others before herself. Bella knows better than any other human how dangerous vampires are. She knew that Victoria might attack other people in town, so Bella ran into the woods to lead Victoria away from town, to protect the people in town." Edward said.

"Bella ran quite a ways before Victoria attacked her. There is no way that Bella could have outrun Victoria." Jasper said.

"Victoria either waited until there was no way that anyone in town could have heard anything, or she was just toying with Bella." Rosalie said.

We all grimaced at that thought.

"Probably the second option. Victoria wouldn't have let Bella run as far as she did if Victoria just didn't want anyone to hear. She had to be toying with Bella." Jasper said.

"I am glad that Bella is alive, but is doesn't make sense why she is. If Victoria had wanted Bella dead, she would have been." Carlisle said.

Edward grimaced at that thought.

"Probably because of me." Jasper said.

"Why you, Jazz?" I asked.

"Vampires getting their revenge take time. When I picked up the scent of Bella's blood, I headed right for where she was. I was too focused on Bella's scent to pick up any other scents then. If Victoria picked up my scent heading for her, then she might have run off, not wanting to be caught." Jasper explained.

"What now?" Rosalie asked.

We all knew that we had to do something.

Once Victoria realizes that Bella is alive, she'll start coming after her again, and we had to make sure that nothing happened to Bella again.

Carlisle turned to Edward. "You're not planning on leaving Bella, right?" Carlisle asked.

"No." Edward said firmly.

We all knew that there was no way Edward would leave Bella's side now. It would take a miracle to get him to ever leave her side again.

"Do you think that Victoria would come back here to the hospital to get revenge?" Emmett asked.

"I don't know, and we're not going to take any chances." Carlisle said.

"Alice, have you seen anything?" Jasper asked.

"No. It's possible that Victoria hasn't decided what she's going to do yet. She may not even know that Bella is still alive." I replied. Then I frowned. "Of course, I didn't see Victoria attacking Bella, either." I said.

"We'll figure out why later, Alice. For now, just look for Victoria's and Bella's future." Carlisle said.

"I will." I assured him.

"What do we do about Victoria? There's no doubt that she'll come after Bella again once she realizes that Bella is still alive." Rosalie said.

None of us really wanted to think about Victoria coming after Bella again. It wasn't a pleasant thought.

"I say we hunt her down and make her pay for attacking a member of this family." Emmett stated.

Edward, Rosalie, Jasper, and I all agreed with Emmett on that point, but it was easy to see that Carlisle and Esme weren't thrilled with the idea of a fight.

"Going after Victoria is far too dangerous. She may have gotten some help while we've been gone." Esme said, worried for our safety.

"We'll be fine, Esme. We can take down anyone that she has with her. There's no way that Victoria can be allowed to get away with what she's done to Bella." Emmett protested.

"Emmett, she won't get away with what she's done. We need to think practically. Victoria could easily have help, and she might be planning to find a way to get us away from Bella so that she can strike." Carlisle said.

* * *

~Edward POV~

I hated to admit it, but Carlisle had made a good point. We couldn't overlook the fact that Victoria had gone after Bella once, and we couldn't let that happen again.

Victoria was cunning and elusive. She could easily plot a way to get us separated from Bella so that she could go after Bella again.

"Then what are we going to do?" Emmett asked. He was itching for a good fight.

"I think that the first thing we need to do is consider all the possibilities that Victoria might try to pull off." Jasper said, going into his militaristic strategist mode.

"If Victoria does have allies, then she could get them to try to attack Bella. We would naturally fight them off to protect Bella. While we were busy fighting with her allies, Victoria would try to sneak up on Bella before we realized what she was doing and attack Bella." Alice said.

"There's also the chance that Victoria is working alone. She could have been watching Bella for a while before she made her first attack on Bella. She might just be watching and waiting to see if we ever drop our guard." Rosalie said.

"She could try a direct attack." Emmett suggested.

"Possible, but not likely. Victoria knows that it's seven to one. She's not going to try it because she knows that it's suicide. Plus, she knows that she's less likely to get to Bella because she'd be lucky to get through one of us." Jasper said.

"She might also wait to get Bella alone." Carlisle said.

"That won't happen." I said. There was no way that I was going to leave Bella alone ever again, much less with Victoria still prowling around, hunting for Bella.

"I'll say." Alice muttered.

I shot her a glare, which Alice pointedly ignored.

Carlisle turned to look at Jasper. "Jasper, what do you think we should do right now?" Carlisle asked.

Since Jasper had been in the military when he was human and handled battles when the newborn wars of the South went on, we all turned to Jasper for help and advice when it came to battle and strategy.

"Well, it depends on how you want to handle the situation. Do you want to hunt her down and kill her, or do you just want us to be ready for when Victoria makes her move?" Jasper asked.

With Carlisle as the head of the family and making the decision in this matter, we all knew which course he would take.

"I just want us to be ready." Carlisle said.

"In that case, we'll need to run patrol. We should patrol the forest and city. We'll know when Victoria gets close and can intercept her before she gets into the town." Jasper said. He then looked over at me. "I'm guessing that you plan on staying with Bella at all times." Jasper said.

"Of course." I answered.

"We'll have Bella protected with a bodyguard then. To be ready, that's the best we can do other than training for a fight." Jasper said. He looked over at Carlisle. "Sorry, but a fight is inevitable." Jasper said.

Carlisle nodded. He didn't like it, but he understood.

"How should we patrol?" Esme asked.

"We can do it in pairs and have three shifts, or we can do it in groups of three and have two shifts." Jasper answered.

"The group of three sounds best. Three would be better than two if they were attacked while out on patrol." I said.

"All right. We can switch up the groups. Jasper, Emmett, and Esme can go now. Rosalie, Alice, and I can go in twelve hours." Carlisle said.

We all agreed on that.

Esme, Emmett, and Jasper left to start their shift.

Alice turned to us. "What do we do?" Alice asked.

"There is very little that we can do now. Just keep your eyes open for anything odd or out-of-place. We can't afford any lapse in our guard." Carlisle said, glancing at Bella.

We all knew that losing a member of this family was Carlisle's biggest fear. To him, we couldn't afford to lose even one member of this family, and that included Bella.

"In any case, I'd better get back to work. Stay out of trouble." Carlisle said before walking out of the room.

"What does he think we're going to do? Go out and get drunk?" Rosalie huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

I sighed. "Rose, Carlisle knows that the three of us want nothing more than to hunt Victoria down and make her pay for what she did to Bella. Carlisle doesn't want us to go off and do just that." I said.

"Well, we'll just head back to the house. We'll come back if there's any change in Bella's condition." Alice said.

I nodded, knowing that Alice would most likely know before anyone else when something would change.

Alice and Rosalie left.

I turned my gaze back to Bella. I was so worried about her, and I just wanted her to wake up so I would know that she would be all right. That's all I wanted.

* * *

~Rosalie POV~

It has been three days since Jasper first found Bella out in the woods, and Bella still hasn't woken up. It's driving me crazy that Bella hasn't woken up yet!

In fact, we're all a little crazy over the fact that Bella hasn't woken up yet.

Edward hasn't left Bella at all. He stays with Bella 24/7, feigning sleep and pretending to eat so people won't suspect anything.

Our shifts on patrol haven't changed. We've come across Victoria a few times, but she's always able to elude us before we can get to her. She hasn't made it close to town yet, but we're not about to drop our guard. We value Bella's safety too much to let our guard down.

Esme, Emmett, and Jasper are out on their shift of patrol right now.

We still don't know here Charlie is at the moment.

So, Alice and I are at the town's library right now, trying to find out where he is.

"What are we even looking for?" I asked, sitting in front of a computer.

"Anything that will give us an answer to where Charlie is. He's not a man that would just leave his daughter, so we need to find out why he hasn't been around lately. We've got to tell him that Bella's in the hospital." Alice said as she looked at the local newspapers since we left, hoping to find an answer.

I started to look on the Internet, hoping to find something.

It became quiet for a while.

I was starting to become impatient with the fact that we weren't finding any answer to our questions.

Alice released an audible gasp that I easily heard, but that any human wouldn't have been able to hear.

I turned to where Alice was and saw the look of horror that was on Alice's face. Worried, I said, "Alice, what's wrong? What did you find?" I got up and walked over to her.

Alice didn't answer me verbally. Instead, she pointed put an article to me that was in one of the newspapers that she had been looking through.

The first thing I noticed was that the paper was dated a little over a month ago. Then I saw the article that Alice had pointed out to me. I understood her reaction then, and I gasped in horror as well.

The headline read: **FORKS POLICE CHIEF FOUND BRUTALLY MURDERED, NO SUSPECTS!**

Now it all made sense. Charlie's scent was stale because he had not been in the house for over a month.

The realization that Bella had lost and grieved over the loss of her father alone without anyone there to comfort her was a painful reality.

Alice and I looked at each other for a long moment. Neither of us were sure what we should say.

Finally, I said, "Who tells Edward?"

"I'm more concerned with who killed Charlie." Alice said, frowning.

"Do you think that it might have been Victoria?" I asked.

"It's possible, but who knows?" Alice said.

"We have one answer at least." I said.

"And a new problem." Alice added.

Alice was right.

Bella would still be grieving over her father, and we had to be there for her.

* * *

~Edward POV~

I have been sitting her with Bella for what seems like forever, although it has only been a total of three days.

I am worried about Bella, and I just want her to wake up so that I will know that Bella is all right. That would make me feel a lot better.

Then I would have to tell Bella the truth about why I left. I am afraid of what Bella will tell me. I'm not sure that she will forgive me for what I've done.

I heard footsteps and heard the nurse's thoughts that she was coming to check on Bella, so I let go of Bella's hand, slumped down in the chair, and feigned sleep.

The nurse walked in. '_That boy never leaves._" the nurse thought.

Of course I don't leave. I'm not setting foot out of this hospital until Bella does.

The nurse then started to check over Bella's vital signs. '_Well, she's stable now at least. That's good. Now, if she would just wake up._' the nurse thought as she gave Bella more painkillers.

I wanted that, too. More than anything, but I knew that I would have to be patient.

'_Poor dear. With all that she's been through lately, she certainly doesn't need this. At least the Cullens are here and seem to care a great deal about her still. Bella will need them to help her get through this. They'll take care of her._' the nurse thought.

That bothered me. What all had happened to Bella while I was gone? What do we need to help her get through?

This was something that really bothered me.

The nurse wrote some things on Bella's chart before she left.

Once I heard the door close, I opened my eyes and took Bella's hand back in mine.

"What happened while we were gone, Bella?" I asked.

I sat there for a while, thinking about what the nurse had been thinking.

Then I heard it.

A low groan that would have been imperceptible to human ears, but that was easily heard by mine.

My eyes instantly flew to Bella's face, hoping that Bella would wake up.

Bella moved her head slightly and her face scrunched up.

"Bella?" I said gently.

"Edward." Bella mumbled, still out.

"Bella, love. Wake up. I'm right here." I said.

It took a few more moments.

Then Bella opened her eyes.

* * *

Hope you like it.

Next: Bella's waking up and her reaction to Edward.

R&R.


	8. Revelation

Here's the next chapter.

Just so you know, this entire chapter is in Bella's POV.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 8- Revelation

~Bella POV~

My stomach was killing me. It hurt so much, and I just wish that it would stop. My wrist, my ankle, and my head hurt, too. But those didn't hurt nearly as much as my stomach did, which was strange.

I didn't think that you were supposed to feel anything when you were dead, and I knew without a doubt that I was dead.

Victoria had chased me from town and into the woods before she attacked me. She had rammed her hand into my stomach to torture me. I had never felt so much pain before.

Except for the pain I felt over Edward leaving me. No pain could ever compare to the pain I felt when Edward left.

Victoria was trying to kill me to get revenge for Edward killing her mate, James, when he had tried to kill me. A mate for a mate, she had called it. She did not know that Edward and I were no longer together since he left me here in Forks.

Alone.

Then I felt a cold hand holding mine. It reminded me of the way Edward's skin felt when I would touch him.

But it couldn't be Edward. He had left me.

I thought I heard someone say something, but I wasn't sure.

Slowly, my mind started clear, and the pain eased off.

I let out a groan.

"Bella?" A musical voice asked.

My heart hurt at the sound.

It was Edward's voice.

"Edward." I mumbled.

"Bella, love. Wake up. I'm right here." Edward said.

It took a few moments, but I was finally able to open my eyes.

And I saw Edward.

I could only stare at him, sure that I had finally lost my mind and was having hallucinations.

Edward could not be here. He didn't want me.

"Bella, are you all right?" Edward asked, looking worried.

I wasn't sure what to say. If I spoke to him, then that would be accepting this hallucination as the real Edward, which would mean that I have truly lost my mind. But accepting the hallucination of Edward would make me feel so much better.

"Bella, could you please say something? You're worrying me over here." Edward said, looking more and more worried.

"How-why-where-how-" I couldn't even form a sentence while looking at him.

Edward smiled slightly. "Well, at least you didn't change. You still stutter." Edward said.

I felt the heat in my cheeks as I blushed at the comment.

Edward chuckled. "I see that that hasn't changed either." Edward said.

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. "I must be dreaming." I said.

Edward frowned at that statement. "No, Bella. You are not dreaming. You're awake." Edward assured me.

"If I'm awake, then I'm hallucinating." I said. I closed my eyes. "I finally lost my mind." I muttered.

The feel of cold hands on my face caused me to open my eyes, and I found myself looking into Edward's gold eyes.

"Bella, listen to me. You are awake. You are not hallucinating. You are not crazy. I am really here." Edward said.

It took a moment for that to sink in, and when it did, tears filled my eyes.

"Bella, what-" Edward started, looking more worried than ever.

"I thought that I would never see you again. I thought that you were gone for good!" I said, the tears falling.

The look on Edward's face softened. "Oh, Bella. I'm sorry. Sorry that I left in the first place," Edward said.

"You couldn't help how you felt. You-" I started.

"-lied my ass off to you." Edward interrupted.

I blinked, taken off guard by that statement. "What?" I asked.

"Bella, what I said to you in the forest was a complete lie. I never stopped loving you." Edward said.

"But you said-" I started.

Edward sighed as he sat down beside me. "Bella, after what happened at your birthday, I thought that you would be better off if I wasn't in your life, if my entire family wasn't in your life. I thought that you would be safe if the vampire aspect was erased from your life completely." Edward said.

"It wasn't." I said quietly.

"I know. I was stupid to think that Victoria wouldn't go after you." Edward said. He sighed, looking guilty. "I never thought that things would take this turn." Edward said.

"Were you-glad you left?" I asked, fearing the answer.

"Not in the least. In truth, I spent most of my time holed up in one motel room after another. I never did much of anything. I don't even remember most of the cities I was in. All I could do was curl up in a ball and be miserable. I was always thinking about you." Edward admitted tenderness in his eyes.

"What about the rest of the family?" I asked.

"Carlisle was teaching at Cornell at night, and Esme was restoring an old house. Emmett and Rosalie were on an extended honeymoon. I forgot which number honeymoon. Alive and Jasper went to visit the Denali coven in Alaska." Edward explained.

"You-" I started.

Edward smiled sheepishly. "I wasn't around my family. I couldn't be around them. It was too painful. Without you, we had become a coven, not a family. It seems that we need you to become a family again." Edward said.

"Me? Why?" I asked, barely above a whisper. I couldn't imagine why I would be so important to them.

"Because you are a part of our family, Bella. Without you, we aren't complete. We all know that now. When one member of the family is missing, the family is not complete." Edward explained.

I still had trouble believing that I was so important that it made the entire Cullen family fall apart.

"You're more important to our family than you think, Bella." Edward said softly.

There was still something that was bothering me. "So, what about us?" I asked.

A look of worry crossed his face. "What do you mean?" Edward asked.

"You said that you never stopped loving me. I never did, either. What happens with us?" I asked.

"Well, I was hoping that you would forgive me, and we could be together again. Of course, I will understand why if you don't." Edward said.

"And the next time you leave?" I asked.

"You'll come with us if you want." Edward answered.

I wasn't sure what to say. I wanted to be with Edward, but I still wasn't sure if I believed this was real.

Edward seemed to be getting more and more impatient. "Bella, you do realize that I can't read your mind." Edward said.

I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my face. "That did always annoy you." I said.

Edward smiled the crooked smile that I love so much. "Well, you're the only person, human or vampire, that I can't read their mind. It is rather annoying when I can't read someone's mind." Edward said.

I watched Edward for a moment before I made my decision. "Edward, if you still want me, then I do want us to be together." I said.

Edward smiled brightly at me. "Bella, I want you more than anything in the world. I want us to be together, too." Edward said.

I smiled. "I guess we're back together." I said, feeling happier than I had since Edward had left.

Edward too my face in his cold hands before he leaned down and pressed his lips to mind.

It was a gentle, chaste kiss like the ones we had shared before.

I shifted my body, and a sharp pain went right through me, causing me to release a pained groan.

Instantly, Edward let go of me. "Bella, I'm sorry!" Edward said quickly.

I shook my head, realizing that Edward thought he had done something to hurt me. "Not you. I shouldn't have moved." I said.

"I should get-" Edward started.

The door opened, and Carlisle walked into the room. "Bella, I'm glad to see that you are awake." Carlisle said.

I smiled. "It's good to see you, too, Carlisle." I said.

"Edward, step out for a moment so that I can check on Bella." Carlisle said.

Edward nodded. He looked at me and said, "I'll be right back, Bella."

I nodded, and Edward stepped out of the room.

Carlisle then began to check over me. "I have to say, Bella, you've had us all worried. We weren't sure that you would make it." Carlisle said.

"I wasn't supposed to." I muttered.

Carlisle froze. "Were you- hoping to die?" Carlisle asked.

I realized exactly how that must have sounded. "No, Carlisle. I meant that Victoria had no intention of letting me survive." I said.

"No. She didn't." Carlisle agreed.

I looked up at him in surprise. "You knew?" I asked.

Carlisle nodded. "You can come back in, Edward." Carlisle said.

Edward was back in the room and by my side in an instant. "How is she, Carlisle?" Edward asked.

"She's doing well, given the circumstances. It will take some time before you are fully healed, Bella. You will need plenty of rest, and you don't need to move around too much." Carlisle said.

"So, I'll be confined to a bed." I said.

"For a while, yes. You can only get up to go to the bathroom and take a bath. Depending on your recovery, you'll be able to move around more." Carlisle said.

I nodded.

"And we're going to get Victoria for doing this." Edward said.

"Edward, don't. You could get killed if you go after her." I said, not wanting Edward to face Victoria.

"Bella, she tried to kill you! If it hadn't been for Jasper finding you-" Edward started.

"Jasper?" I interrupted.

Edward nodded.

"So, Jasper really was there in the forest after the attack." I muttered, although I was saying it more to myself.

"Yes, Bella. Had Jasper not found you when he did, you would not have survived the injuries." Carlisle said.

"Oh." I said. Now how I was alive made sense. I was sure that I had been hallucinating when I saw Jasper, but it was really Jasper that had been there in the forest with me.

"Bella?" Edward asked worriedly.

I realized that Carlisle and Edward were both watching me anxiously. "Sorry. I thought that I had been seeing things when I saw Jasper. I didn't think that he was really there to help me." I explained.

"You thought that you were seeing things?" Carlisle repeated.

I nodded. "Victoria had been around for a while. I was constantly on guard because I knew she was there. I had run for a long time, and I had lost a good bit of blood by that time. With Victoria around, I had been thinking about all of you a lot, and I just thought that Jasper was a figment of my imagination." I said.

"Well, that does make some sense." Carlisle agreed.

"You thought that you were seeing Jasper?" Edward asked, raising an eyebrow.

I blushed. "How was I supposed to know that he was really there?" I asked.

"Well, the good thing is that it was Jasper. Things would have been a lot worse had Jasper not been there." Carlisle said.

Edward and I nodded in agreement.

"Emmett's going to have a field day when he hears this. You thinking that Jasper was a hallucination is something that Emmett won't ever let you forget." Edward said.

"Then don't tell him." I said.

"Now where would the fun in that be?" Edward asked me with a mischievous smile.

I groaned at that, knowing that Edward would certainly tell Emmett everything.

Carlisle chuckled. "Now, I believe that there are a few other things that need to be discussed." Carlisle said.

"What's that?" I asked.

"For starters, you will be on several medications for a while. I don't want to run the risk that you will get an infection or anything." Carlisle said.

I nodded. That was something that I had been expecting.

"We also need to talk to you about your living arrangements." Carlisle said.

"Well, I guess that I can't stay on my own." I said.

"No. You can't. Someone has to be within hearing range." Carlisle said.

"So, that's a few miles with you guys, right?" I asked.

Edward grinned. "Try five." Edward said.

"That is true, but you'll be living with us for the time being. With Victoria out and about, it will be the safest place for you." Carlisle said.

I nodded.

"We also need to know how to contact Charlie so we can let him know about all this." Carlisle said.

At the mention of my father, my throat tightened and my eyes began to burn with unshed tears.

It had been a month, but I still missed Charlie. It had been hard dealing with everything, especially since I know that it was Victoria who killed him.

"Bella?" Edward asked anxiously.

Edward was sitting on the bed beside me, looking worried. Carlisle also looked worried.

I took a deep breath before I spoke. "You can't contact Charlie, Carlisle. He died a month ago." I said softly.

* * *

Hope you liked it.

Next: Three members of the Cullen family see Bella.

R&R.


	9. Reunion part 1

Here's the next chapter.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 9- Reunion part 1

~Edward POV~

I was shocked. Of all the things I had imagined as a reason Charlie had not been at the house, dead was not one of the things that had crossed my mind.

It did make sense, though. I knew that Charlie was not the type of man who would abandon Bella. Charlie's death was the only logical reason for his not being around.

Carlisle was shocked and upset as well. '_I never imagine this as the reason why. I cannot imagine what Bella must have been going through._' Carlisle thought.

I agreed with him. Gently, I wrapped my arms around Bella. "I'm sorry, Bella. We didn't know." I said.

Bella nodded as she wiped the tears away. "I know you didn't." Bella said.

"How long?" Carlisle asked.

"It's been about a month." Bella said.

A month.

For an entire month, Bella has had to deal with the loss of her father. I can't believe that all of this happened to her. Bella did not deserve to have this happen to her.

"How?" I asked.

"Victoria." was her response.

That did it! I was going to kill Victoria, no matter what it took! She wasn't going to get away with all that she had done to Bella.

Bella had calmed down, but I was still angry.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I wouldn't have asked had I known." Carlisle said.

"I know, Carlisle. It's not your fault. You were not here when it happened, so you couldn't have known." Bella said.

"Well, you'll be living with us, so you'll be safe." I said. Truthfully, I knew that I didn't want Bella staying in her house any longer than necessary. The memories had to of been painful for her.

"I know. I think I'll be safe living in a house full of vampires." Bella said with a smile.

"That's a statement that most people would deem an oxymoron." I said.

Carlisle chuckled. "Indeed." Carlisle said. He then turned serious again. "We are also going to make sure that you regain all that weight you lost while you are living with us." Carlisle said.

Bella blushed and looked away. "You noticed that." Bella stated.

"It's hard not to. You have lost far too much weight, Bella." Carlisle said.

"I know." Bella said.

I knew that this was something we needed to talk to Bella about, but now wasn't the time.

"Esme will make sure of that." Carlisle said. He then walked over to the door.

I sighed as I stood up.

"Edward, what-" Bella started.

"Preparing for the pixie." I said.

Carlisle opened the door, and Alice cam barreling into the room a half-second later.

"Bella!" Alice squealed, lunging for the bed.

I intercepted Alice, stopping her from landing on the bed to hug the life out of Bella.

"Edward, let me go! I want to see my sister! I haven't seen her in months!" Alice whined, trying to get out of my grasp.

"Alice, please remember that Bella is more fragile than usual right now, and we don't want anymore injuries due to your excitement." I said sternly.

Alice rolled her eyes. "Please, Edward. I wouldn't have hurt Bella. Now, let go!" Alice ordered.

I sighed, but did as Alice had said and let her go.

Alice then jumped on the bed, but landed so lightly that the bed barely moved. She then hugged Bella. "Hi, Bella! I'm so happy to see you!" Alice said.

Bella laughed as she hugged Alice back. "I'm happy to see you, too, Alice." Bella said.

"I'm glad that you're awake now. We were all worried about you." Alice said.

"I know, and I'm sorry." Bella said.

"It wasn't your fault. Now that we're all here, there's no way that Victoria will be able to get close to you again." Alice said.

Bella smiled. "I know that." Bella said.

I noticed that Rosalie was standing in the doorway of the room. She didn't look it, but I could tell from her thoughts that Rosalie was relieved that Bella was awake.

Rosalie then caught my eye. '_Edward, you should know that Alice and I discovered that Charlie is dead. We think he was killed by Victoria._' Rosalie said.

I nodded my head to let her know I knew.

'_Bella told you?_' Rosalie asked

Again, I nodded.

'_Okay. Well, do you think that you could give me a minute alone with Bella so that we can talk?_' Rosalie asked.

I wasn't sure that I liked the sound of that.

'_I'm not going to upset her, Edward. I want to explain my past actions to her._' Rosalie said.

I figured that there was no harm in leaving Bella alone with Rosalie. I glanced over at Carlisle.

"I need to go check on my other patients. I'll come back and check on you later, Bella." Carlisle said.

"Okay, Carlisle." Bella said.

Carlisle then left the room.

I figured that Carlisle would easily get the message. I walked over and took Alice by the arm. "Come on, Alice. We need to talk." I said.

"But-" Alice started.

I didn't give Alice a real chance to protest as I dragged hr out of the room. "I'll be back in a minute, Bella." I said.

Bella looked surprised.

"Edward!" Alice growled as I dragged her down the hall.

"Alice, Rose wants to talk to Bella alone for a minute." I said in a low voice.

"And you're letting her?" Alice asked.

"Yes. Rose won't' upset her. I know that." I said.

"Whatever you say." Alice said.

* * *

~Rosalie POV~

I was surprised that Edward had agreed to let me talk alone with Bella. He didn't want to leave, but he knows that this will be easier if Bella and I are alone to talk.

Bella looks at me with a surprised expression.

I smiled slightly at her as I walked over. "It's okay, Bella. I just asked Edward to give us a few minutes alone so that we could talk." I said, sitting down in the chair that was normally occupied by Edward.

"You've never wanted to before." Bella said softly.

"I know, and I'm sorry for that. That's why I wanted to talk to you. I wanted to apologize for my actions and explain them." I said.

"Okay." Bella said.

I was relieved that she was going to hear me out at least. "Well, the first part of the reason Edward told you. I wish that I was still human, too. I was angry and jealous at the fact that you were still human while I wasn't. It never had anything to do with you or what you did." I told her.

"So, you never hated me?" Bella asked.

"No. You never did anything to make me hate you, Bella." I said.

"And the other part of the reason?" Bella asked.

"That is less understandable. I am a very vain person. When I was human, every man who saw me stopped to stare at me. I was always admired and praised for my looks, so they became very important to me. I gained such beauty as a vampire that men stared even more than before. Edward was the exception. From day one, Edward never saw me in such a way. He didn't become dazzled by my looks. It irked me, but no girl, human or vampire, managed to get his attention, so it didn't bother me so much. But the second he saw you, he was enamored. I became jealous that you were able to catch his attention like no one else." I said.

Bella looked surprised. "But you're in love with Emmett." Bella said.

I chuckled. "Yes, I am. I don't want Edward in that way, and he doesn't want me. Like I said, I'm vain." I said.

"Oh." Bella said.

"I hope that you can forgive me for how I acted. I want us to be friends and sisters, like you are with Alice." I said.

Bella smiled at me. "Of course I forgive you, Rosalie. I want that, too." Bella said.

I smiled at her. "Thank you, Bella, and I'm glad that you're going to be okay." I said.

"I will be at some point, although that's going to be a while. I'll be in the hospital for who knows how long." Bella said.

"Well, you'll be living with us, so Carlisle might let you come home sooner. You'll be under close watch by people with medical knowledge, so he knows you'll be in good hands." I said.

Bella looked confused. "I thought that Carlisle was the only doctor in the family." Bella said.

I laughed. "As far as Forks is concerned, Carlisle is the only doctor in the family. We've all been around for a while, Bella. Edward has a medical degree as well, and Jasper had enough to medical knowledge to help take care of you. Plus, Alice has a nursing degree." I explained.

Bella looked stunned.

I laughed again. "Bella, since Carlisle works at the hospital, he can't be at the house 24/7 to keep an eye on you. He wouldn't let you go home without someone there to watch you. Carlisle knows that Edward, Jasper, and Alice can take care of you when he's not there." I explained.

"Okay. I think I get it now. I never realized that that Edward, Jasper, and Alice had been to medical school." Bella said.

"Yeah. It would have to be them. I didn't want to go to medical school, and Emmett wouldn't have made it." I said.

Bella laughed. "Yeah. I see your point. I can't see Emmett as a doctor." Bella said.

"No one could." I said. I then rolled my eyes. "Great. The overprotective boyfriend is back." I said.

A moment later, Edward walked into the room with a scowl on his face. "I heard that, Rose." Edward said.

"You were meant to." I retorted. I then stood up. "I'll see you later, Bella." I said.

"Okay, Rosalie." Bella said.

I then left the room.

* * *

~Edward POV~

I hate it when Rosalie makes remarks like that.

"She doesn't mean anything by it, Edward." Bella said.

I walked over and sat down in the chair by Bella. "I know she doesn't, but I have had to put up with it for over seventy years. Besides, I heard her think it before she said it." I said.

Bella giggled. "Well, just because you hear them think it doesn't mean they can't say it." Bella said.

"Yeah. I know. The family tends to tell me things aloud even though they know that I can hear them." I said.

"You can't blame them." Bella said.

"How are you feeling?" I asked. Before she could answer, I added, "And don't lie. You know that you're not good at it."Bella sighed. "I'm tired, but I guess given what happened, I shouldn't be too surprised." Bella said.

"Are you in pain?" I asked.

"A little, but it's not that bad right now." Bella said.

"Are you sure? I can get Carlisle to give you something." I said.

"Edward, there is no need for that. I'll be okay," Bella said.

"Well, you'll need to rest well tonight." I said.

Bella looked at me in confusion. "Why?" Bella asked.

"Because there are three other members of the family who haven't seen you awake, and they'll be coming over here tomorrow to see you." I said.

"Okay. It'll be great to see Esme, Emmett, and Jasper again." Bella said.

Alice danced into the room then. "I'm glad you said that. They have been just as worried about as we have." Alice said.

"Where are they?" Bella asked.

"Since Victoria's been around, we've been running patrol around the town to make sire that she couldn't to you or anyone else. Esme, Jasper, and Emmett have been on patrol." I explained.

"Carlisle, Rose, and I will take over for them in a little while." Alice said.

"What about you, Edward?" Bella asked.

"Like we could get him to leave you." Alice said.

I glared at her. I'm the bodyguard." I said.

"Bodyguard?" Bella repeated.

"Sure. With Victoria around, one of us needs to be around you at all times to protect you if Victoria does manage to get close." Alice said.

"I don't think that will happen." I said.

Bella smiled. "With all of you behind me, I should be safe." Bella said.

"Yep! Now get some rest. To handle Esme, Emmett, and Jasper, you're going to need it." Alice said.

"I will." Bella said.

Alice then left.

"It won't be that bad. We'll just have to remind Emmett that you are very breakable." I said.

"Even more than usual." Bella added.

"Well, they're bringing you your dinner, so you'll need to go to sleep after you eat." I said.

"Okay." Bella agreed.

Once dinner was brought, I made sure Bella ate enough before she went to sleep.

I felt better now that I knew Bella would be all right. I'd feel even better once she was home.

* * *

Hope you liked it.

Next: Bella sees Esme, Emmett, and Jasper.

R&R.


	10. Reunion part 2

Here's the next chapter.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 10- Reunion part 2

~Bella POV~

The following morning, I woke up to see that it was a rainy morning.

Edward was still sitting in the chair, although he was slumped down with his eyes closed, and he was breathing deeply. I realized that he was feigning sleep, and that there was a nurse in the room.

Noticing that I was awake, the nurse gave me a smile. "Glad to see you back with us, Bella. We were all worried about you." the nurse said.

I gave her a smile. "Thank you." I replied.

"Dr. Cullen thinks that some kind of animal attacked you." the nurse said.

So that was the cover story. I should have known that Carlisle would have come up with something. "I don't really remember what happened, but Dr. Cullen would probably know." I answered.

"Well, you seem to be doing fine. Your breakfast should be here soon." the nurse said.

"Okay. Thank you." I told her.

The nurse smiled at me again before she left the room.

"I thought that she would never leave." Edward muttered, opening his eyes and sitting up in the chair.

"She's doing her job, Edward." I reminded him.

"Well, she could do it faster." Edward retorted.

"Not everyone can move at vampire speed." I said.

"No. I guess not." Edward agreed.

There was a loud clap of thunder from outside.

"How long has this storm been raging?" I asked, glancing out the window at the pouring rain.

"A few hours." Edward replied.

"I wonder how I never heard it." I mused.

"You were sleeping soundly. You didn't even hear the nurse when she came in at three-thirty to check on you this morning." Edward said.

"I really slept soundly." I stated.

"You needed the rest." Edward said. He glanced out the window and said, "Rosalie has to be pissed right now."

"Why?" I inquired.

"Because she has to patrol in this storm. Rosalie has to be angry that her hair and outfit are messed up because of the rain. Alice, too." Edward said.

I stared at him wide-eyed. "They're out in this weather?" I asked incredulously.

"Sure. We can't get sick, remember?" Edward reminded me.

"Still. This is a bad storm." I siad.

"Doesn't matter to us. Victoria could still make a move in weather like this, so Jazz wants us to keep patrolling. He doesn't want to leave anything to chance." Edward said.

"Jasper?" I asked.

"Jazz is calling all the shots, so to speak. He was a major during the Civil War, so he has a lot of military experience. He's good at strategy, so we listen to him in situations like this." Edward said.

"Oh. Jasper's seen a lot, too." I said.

Edward gave me a mysterious smile. "More than you know." Edward replied.

I frowned.

"It's Jasper's story. He'll tell you when he's ready." Edward said.

I nodded.

A moment later, a nurse came into the room to bring me my breakfast. "Here you go." the nurse said.

"Thanks." I said.

The nurse left.

* * *

~Edward POV~

I wrinkled my nose at the smell of food. Human food smelled so disgusting. I hated it.

Bella didn't look too thrilled, either.

"What's wrong?" I asked. I was worried that Bella didn't want to eat because of the last few months of her not taking care of herself. I would force-feed her if I had to or get Carlisle to have her fed intravenously.

"I hate hospital food." Bell explained.

"Well, we're even then. I hate the smell." I said.

Bella smiled. "It probably smells as bad to you as it tastes to me." Bella said.

"Once you get home, Esme can cook you something you don't mind eating." I assured her.

Bella nodded and started eating.

I was glad that she was eating. I just hoped that we would be able to get Bella back to the weight she was before we left. Between Esme and Alice, I'm sure that everything will be fine.

Speaking of Esme.

Bella just finished eating when the door opened, and Esme walked into the room.

Esme smiled as she walked to Bella. "Bella, it's so good to see you again." Esme said.

Bella smiled back. "I'm glad to see you, too." Bella said.

Esme hugged Bella gently. "So, how are you doing?" Esme asked.

"I'm okay. I'll just be glad to get out of this hospital." Bella said.

"Well, you'll be living with us when you do; I hope that you like the room." Esme said.

"Room? I don't need my own room." Bella said.

"Yeah. She's just going to stay in my room." I said. I had told Alice to get a bed for my room so that Bella would be more comfortable.

"Bella's not getting her own room; per se. Alice thought that redecorating was in order." Esme explained.

I froze. Redecorating and Alice were not two words I wanted to hear in the same sentence when in reference to my room. "Esme, what is Alice doing to my room?" I asked.

Esme smiled at me apologetically. "I tried to talk her out of it, Edward, but you know how persistent Alice is. She thought that it needed a-" Esme started.

"Women's touch." I groaned.

"We aren't going to recognize the room." Bella remarked.

"I don't know what she's doing, Edward. Alice isn't telling anyone anything." Esme said.

A moment later, Emmett came barreling into the room. "Bella! It's great to see you!" Emmett said enthusiastically, heading toward her.

I was glad that I was faster than Emmett was. I was able to intercept Emmett before he reached Bella.

"Oh, come on, Edward! You've been with her since she woke up! Let me see my sister!" Emmett complained.

"Edward, there is no need for that." Bella scolded.

"I just wanted to remind Emmett that you are more fragile than usual." I said.

"I'm not going to kill her. I just want to see her." Emmett said before he shoved me aside and walked over to Bella. "Hey, Bella. Glad to see you again." Emmett said as he hugged Bella.

Bella hugged him back. "It's good to see you, too, Emmett." Bella replied.

I was a little irritated with Emmett, but that soon changed. I sighed. "Hey, Jazz." I said.

Jasper was standing at the entrance to the room. "He's not going to hurt her, Edward. Not after the lecture he got from Carlisle, Alice, and Rose." Jasper said.

Emmett scowled. "Everyone in this family thinks that I'm going to hurt her." Emmett said.

"That's because you act before you think ninety-eight percent of the time." I told him.

"Well, that's part of what makes Emmett, Emmett." Bella said.

"See!" Emmett said.

"We'd just rather that your thoughtlessness not lead to anymore injuries for Bella." I explained.

Emmett growled. '_I'll get you for that, Edward!_' Emmett threatened me with his thoughts.

My thoughts, however, shifted elsewhere. I turned toward Jasper and said, "Jazz, I would like a word with you."

Jasper held up his hands in surrender. "I have no more control over my wife than Emmett has over his." Jasper said.

"Why are you letting her do this?" I demanded.

"Because it's Alice, and there is no force that can stop her when she decides to redecorate a room." Jasper replied.

I groaned at that.

"And before you ask, I don't have a clue what she's planning to do. She's told me nothing." Jasper said.

I felt like slamming my head into the wall, although all I would end up doing is slamming my head **through **the wall.

"It may not be that bad, Edward." Bella told me.

"It's Alice." I said.

"But she knows how you like things." Bella persisted.

"It's Alice." I repeated.

"She also knows my taste, so it won't be nearly as bad as you think it will." Bella stated.

"It's Alice!" Jasper, Emmett, Esme, and I said at the same time.

"Okay, okay. It's going to be bad." Bella finally conceded.

I wanted to scream.

Emmett was snickering at me.

I glared at him.

"Better you than me." Emmett said.

"Come now, boys. There is no fighting. We are in a hospital, after all." Esme said.

"It's about to become an arena." I growled, itching to attack Emmett.

Emmett smirked. "Bring it." Emmett dared me.

Esme sighed before she sent a pleading look over at Jasper.

Jasper then sent out calming waves that immediately calmed Emmett and me down.

"Aw, Jazz! Why do you have to ruin everything?" Emmett whined.

"Because I would rather you two didn't expose us for what we really are." Jasper replied.

I had to admit that I was glad that Jasper did that. We didn't need to cause a scene like that.

"Um, guys." Bella said.

All eyes turned to Bella.

"What is it, love?" I asked, by her side in an instant.

"I was wondering if I could talk to Jasper alone for a minute." Bella said.

This shocked me.

'_Me?_' Jasper though, shocked as well.

Esme simply smiled. "Certainly, Bella." Esme said. She then forced Emmett and me out the door, and she shut the door behind her.

I started to say something.

"Don't say a word, Edward. She will be fine. Jasper won't hurt her. Besides, Bella wants to speak to him alone, and we should honor her wishes." Esme explained calmly before she forced us down the hall.

~Jasper POV~

It shocked me that Bella wanted to talk to me alone, especially considering what had happened at her birthday party last September.

Bella smiled at me before she said, "You can come closer, Jasper."I had stayed close to the door, which was where I had been standing the entire time. I just wasn't sure that I should get too close to her. I really had no desire to give Edward a reason to rip me to shreds.

"I won't bite." Bella said with an amused smile.

A smile crossed my own lips. "You're not the one I'm worried about." I said.

"Jasper, please come over. I know that you're not going to hurt me." Bella said.

After a moment of hesitation, I walked on over to Bella and sat down in a chair beside her.

"Jasper, I wanted to thank you." Bella said softly.

"For what?" I asked.

"Saving my life. Edward and Carlisle told me that you were the one who found me in the woods after Victoria attacked me. If it hadn't bee for you, I would be dead by now." Bella said.

"You don't owe me anything. I'm just glad that I was able to get to you in time." I told her, and that was the truth.

"Jasper, I know that you struggle with being around humans still, so I can't imagine how hard it was for you to stay in control with all the blood that was there." Bella said.

I smiled at her. "You have no idea how hard it was. I was struggling the entire time. In truth, I don't know how I managed to stay in control long enough to get you to the road to the paramedics. It's something that no one in the family, including Carlisle, can explain given how much I struggle with it." I said.

"Well, do you see me as a sister?" Bella asked.

I smiled. "Of course I do, Bella. You are a sister to me just like Rosalie is, and I love you like one." I said.

"Well, maybe that's it. Maybe you were able to resist because you love me." Bella said.

I hadn't thought of that.

Bella smiled. "Sometimes, it's the simplest of solutions to tough questions, Jasper." Bella said.

I smiled. "Well, whatever the reason, I'm glad that I was able to resist." I said.

"The truth is that when you first showed up in the woods-" Bella started.

"You thought that I was a figment of your imagination. Carlisle told us about that." I remarked before she could finish.

Bella groaned. "I wish he hadn't told you." Bella said.

I smirked. "Believe me. Emmet will get you for that later." I said.

Bella sighed. "I'm surprised that Emmett didn't say anything earlier." Bella said.

"He will. Trust me." I said. I couldn't help but ask her something else. "Did you not question why you were seeing me instead of Edward if you were imagining things?" I inquired.

Bella blushed. "At the time, no. When I knew that you were really there, it made more sense." Bella explained.

"In any case, I'm glad I wasn't just a figment of your imagination." I said.

"I know. I just wanted you to know that I'm grateful." Bella said.

"Bella, you're a part of this family, my sister. I wouldn't have done anything else." I said.

A moment later, Edward walked back into the room.

"You just couldn't stay away, could you?" I asked.

"No, I can't." Edward said.

"At least he's honest about it." Bella said.

"I suppose so." I said.

Esme and Emmett came back into the room.

"Thank you, Esme." Bella said.

"Of course. You're welcome, dear." Esme said.

If we could get rid of Victoria, things would be perfect for us.

* * *

Hope you liked it.

Next: Bella gets to go home.

R&R.


	11. Home part 1

Here's the next chapter.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 11- Home part 1

~Bella POV~

I was tired of being in the hospital. I have been here for a week, and I am starting to get cabin fever.

Edward has been here with me the entire time except for that one day that it was sunny. Edward had left his cell phone with me, and he had used Alice's cell phone to keep in touch with me throughout the day. Of course, he was back at the hospital as soon as the sun had gone down.

Edward sighed. "Bella, I know that you hate being in the hospital, but please try to cheer up." Edward said.

"I thought that you couldn't read my mind." I said, annoyed.

"I can't, but I know you too well. I can tell from you're expression that you're getting irritated with being in the hospital." Edward told me.

"I know, but I can't stand it. I have never liked hospitals on any level." I said.

Edward smiled at me. "You do realize that we when we get home, you are still going to be stuck in bed, and there's no chance that you're going to be able to sneak out of bed because we hear everything that happens in that house." Edward said.

"I know that, Edward. I'll just be glad to be out of that hospital. At least I will have something to do at the house." I said.

"Bella, there won't be much going on in that room." Edward said.

I rolled my eyes. "I knew that, Edward. I'll be able to watch TV, read, and other things like that." I clarified.

"Oh. Yeah. You can do those things." Edward agreed.

It was then that something occurred to me. "Edward, you mentioned your room." I said.

"And? You knew that you would be in my room." Edward said.

"I know that. Have you seen it since Alice got a hold of it?" I asked.

"No. Alice refuses to let me see it until you get home, and she keeps signing different songs in her head that she knows I can't stand." Edward said. He then grimaced. "And I'm not sure that I want to see it." Edward said.

"What about Jasper or Esme? Surely one of them has seen it." I said.

"Jazz hasn't. Esme only knows a couple of things that Alice has bought for the room. Nothing that helps me." Edward said.

"Do you think that there is any chance that Alice didn't go overboard this time?" I asked, though I didn't hold much hope for a positive answer.

"Not a chance." Edward said.

"Well, we can always change the room when we get back." I said.

"Not if you value your life. Alice nearly murdered Emmett when he changed his and Rosalie's room after Alice had redecorated it." Edward explained.

"I guess we're stuck with whatever Alice does then." I said.

"Pretty much." Edward agreed.

The door to the room opened, and Carlisle walked in. "Well, Bella, how are you feeling?" Carlisle asked.

"I'm okay." I said.

"She's just sick and tried of being in the hospital day-in and day-out." Edward said.

I glared at him.

"In all my years of medicine, I have never had a patient that likes being in the hospital." Carlisle said.

"No need for me to break tradition then." I said.

Carlisle smiled. "You'll be happy to know that I am releasing you from the hospital today." Carlisle said.

"You are?" I asked, feeling hopeful.

"Yes. Of course, you are going to stay on bed rest until further notice. I don't want anything to happen that might hinder your recovery." Carlisle said.

"Okay." I agreed.

"That also means that while Carlisle is working, Alice and I will be the ones taking care of you." Edward said.

"I know, Edward." I said. At this point, I was more than willing to be cared for by Carlisle, Edward, and Alice if that meant I could get out of the hospital now.

"All right. I'll get your paperwork started then." Carlisle said before he walked out of the room.

"Happy now?" Edward asked.

"Yes. I'm glad that I'm going to be getting out of the hospital." I said.

"Even though it means that you'll be stuck in a house full of seven overprotective vampires, which means that you won't be able to make a single move without us knowing." Edward said.

"I can live with that. I'm sure that there's more than enough books there to keep me occupied." I said.

"Okay." Edward said.

* * *

~Esme POV~

Carlisle just called me and informed me that he was releasing Bella from the hospital.

I'm so happy! My daughter is going to be coming home!

"Alice. Jasper. Emmett. Rose." I said.

A moment later, all four of my children were in the living room with me.

"What is it, Esme?" Emmett asked.

Alice smiled at me brightly, telling me that she already knew about Bella and that she was going to let me tell them.

Jasper had a knowing smile on his face. Ni doubt that he had figured out from Alice's excitement and happiness as well as my own what was going on.

Rose and Emmett were the only ones who were still in the dark about Bella.

I smiled at them and said, "Carlisle just called me. He is releasing Bella from the hospital, and she's coming home.""She is?" Rose asked, smiling.

"Yes! I've already seen it! We have an hour before Edward gets home with her!" Alice shouted happily.

"All right!" Emmett yelled, pumping his fist up into the air. "My baby sis is coming home!"

I smiled. "Now, someone has to go grocery shopping so that we can have food for her." I said.

"Jazz and I will do it!" Alice said. She grabbed Jasper's hand and dragged him out the door.

"Now-" I started.

"And don't look in Edward's room!" Alice hollered.

I sighed. "I wish that she would just let us see the room already." I said.

"You know Alice. She'll want to make a big scene when she shows Edward and Bella the room. She can't let anyone see it, or Edward will find out beforehand." Rose stated.

"I suppose so." I said. I would be glad when Edward and Bella finally saw the room.

"So, what can Rose and I do?" Emmett asked.

"I'm not sure that there's much else that needs to be done." I admitted.

Emmett smiled widely. "We're the welcoming committee then!" Emmett said cheerfully.

Rose shook her head. "You do realize that Alice and Jasper will be back by then. Plus, there can't be much of a party. Bella is still going to be confined to her bed." Rose said.

"We celebrate in Edward's room." Emmett said.

I sighed. "Emmett, all of us can't fit in the room, and Bella will need her rest." I said.

"It won't be anything big." Emmett said, walking out the door.

I looked over at Rose.

Rose shrugged. "You know Emmett. He's like Alice in the sense that once he sets his mind to do something, there's no stopping him." Rose said.

"I know." I said. I just hoped that Bella wouldn't mind a small welcome home party.

* * *

~Edward POV~

I was glad when Carlisle told us that I could take Bella home. She wasn't the only one who was tired of being in the hospital. Of course, my hatred of it stemmed from the fact that I was having to listen to the thoughts of everyone there, including the lustful thoughts that some of the women had toward Carlisle and myself.

Now, I was in my Volvo with Bella in the passenger side seat heading toward my house.

"I'm glad to be out of the hospital." Bella said.

"I know you are, but you know that you're still on bed rest. Carlisle will have all our heads if we don't follow his instructions to a T." I said.

Bella laughed. "I'm sorry, but I have trouble seeing Carlisle violent. It's just nothing something I can see him as. He's always so kind, gentle, and compassionate." Bella said.

I smirked as I looked over at her. "You do realize that Carlisle has to be violent when he hunts. That's not something that can be done without any violence." I said.

"I know. It's just hard for me to see Carlisle like that." Bella replied.

"Other than hunting, it takes a lot to make Carlisle violent. However, not following his orders where your health is concerned will certainly make him angry, and we're the ones that he'll cine after, especially if it hinders your recovery." I stated.

"Well, I'll have to make sure that I behave and follow doctor's orders then, won't I?" Bella asked with a smile.

"It would be nice. If you do, it will mean that Carlisle won't have a reason to kill any of us." I said.

As we drove down the winding driveway, I could hear the thoughts of my family.

'_They're here!_'- Alice

'_Oh, thank goodness! I'm so glad that Bella is home now!_'- Esme

'_Finally! What did Edward do? Drive like an old man?_'- Rosalie

'_Let the party begin!_'- Emmett

I frowned at that one. Party? What on earth does Emmett have planned?

"Edward, what's wrong?" Bella asked.

I glanced over at her. "I know how much you hate parties that are about you, Bella, but I think that you might have to deal with one now." I said.

Bella looked horrified.

I smiled. "Sorry, Bella, but it looked like Emmett planned some kind of welcome home parry for you." I explained.

Bella groaned.

"Try to bear it. They're all excited to have you home, and they want you to know that this is your home." I said.

"Okay. I think that I can handle this." Bella said.

The garage door was open, so I drove on into the garage and parked the car.

Emmett then came bounding down the stairs of the garage and leapt over so that he was by the passenger door. He opened the door and said, "Welcome home, Bella!"

Bella smiled. "Thanks, Emmett." Bella said.

I go tout of the car as Emmett helped Bella out of the car. "Be easy with her, Em." I said.

Emmett rolled his eyes. "I know. She's more fragile than usual. You don't have to tell me again." Emmett said.

"He's just making sure that you remember, Emmett. You have a tendency of forgetting things like that." Rosalie said.

Emmett scowled.

"Come on. The others are waiting." Rosalie said as she turned to head into the house. '_Be prepared, Edward._' Rosalie thought.

I wasn't sure what to think of that statement, but I took Bella's hand in mine, and we headed into the house with Emmett following.

I was shocked.

There was a banner hanging up that read in big red letters: WELCOME HOME, BELLA! There were balloons tied to the railings if the staircase as well as several of the tables. I could smell the food, so that didn't surprise me. There were also several candles lighted around the room. There was also a table set up that had a white cloth draped over it, and there were several gifts set on top of the table.

I glanced over at Bella and saw that she looked shocked, but not upset. I looked over at where my family was.

Esme smiled at me. '_Blame Emmett. He came up with the idea of a welcome home party, and Alice latched on to the idea._' Esme told me.

Now I knew who to get for this.

"You didn't have to do all this for me." Bella said.

"Of course we did, Bella! This is your home now, and we're glad that you're here!" Alice said enthusiastically.

"You do realize that Bella has to go right to bed." I said.

"No, she doesn't. I called Carlisle, and he said she could stay down here for a little while as long a she stays on the couch. He also said she can only stay down here for an hour." Esme said.

Emmett's eyes lit up. "Let's get this party started!" Emmett shouted.

"She eats first." Esme said sternly before leaving the room.

"Right." Emmett said.

I led Bella over to the couch. I could tell that it was a strain on her to remain on her feet given her injuries, so I figured that I had better make her sit down. Esme and Carlisle would have my head if Bella collapsed on us.

Esme came back with a bowl of soup, some crackers, and an ice tea.

Jasper set up a small table for Bella to use.

"Carlisle said that you need to eat light for now." Esme said as she set everything down on the table for Bella.

"That's fine, Esme. I don't think I could handle anything else. It looks and smells delicious." Bella said before she started eating.

'_It smells gross._'- Emmett

'_Ugh! I don't know how she stands that._'- Rosalie

'_Appetizing to her, but not me._'- Jasper/

'_I'm glad Bella's eating. She needs to get her weight back._'- Alice

'_I'm glad that she likes it._'- Esme

I agreed with every though.

Bella looked up at us. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened to your patrol? Edward said that you were running patrol 24/7." Bella said.

"We were, but we figured that we would all be here today since you were coming home." Rosalie said.

"We'll pick back up tomorrow, but we're going to run the patrol closer to the house." Jasper explained.

Once Bella was done, Esme took the dishes back into the kitchen.

"Gift time!" Alice called.

"Why did you bother with gifts?" Bella asked.

"This is a party for you, Bella, and you can't have a party for someone without giving them something." Alice said as she waltzed over to the table with the gifts. '_Not the mention the fact that that's the only way anyone in this family can give her anything._' Alice thought.

I smiled slightly at that. She was right.

A party like this was the only way that Bella would accept anything from our family given the fact that Bella doesn't like people getting her gifts for any reason.

"Right there." I muttered so slowly that Bella wouldn't hear it.

Alice looked over at me smiled. '_Thanks for agreeing with me, Edward._' Alice thought.

"If Bella asks, I agree with her." I said so Bella couldn't hear.

I knew that everyone in my family was thinking I was so whipped, but I'd never admit that.

Alice picked up one of the gifts and handed it to Bella. "This one is from me." Alice said.

It was a simple envelope, but when I heard what it was through Alice's thoughts, I knew what Bella's reaction would be.

"Oh no! You didn't!" Bella exclaimed.

Alice smiled brightly. "That's right! It's a thousand dollar gift certificate for the Seattle mall! Once you've recovered, we're heading out there!" Alice said happily.

I knew how much Bella hated shopping. She hated it even more than I did.

'_You do realize that Alice is going to drag both of us along._' Jasper told me.

I nodded. Boy, did I know that.

And I didn't need to read Alice's thoughts to know that, either.

"All right. I'll go next." Rosalie said. She picked up a box and handed it to Bella.

Bella unwrapped the box before she opened it.

Inside was a diamond pendant that spelled out Bella's name in diamonds with the Cullen crest hanging by two small threads from the B and the A in her name.

"Rose, this is beautiful." Bella said. She was stunned, but I could tell that she really did love it.

"You're welcome. Esme, Alice, and I all have one, so I thought that the last Cullen girl needed on." Rosalie said.

I was glad that Rosalie was starting to treat Bella like she was part of the family.

Jasper picked up his gift and handed it to her. "Here, Bella." Jasper said.

"Thank you." Bella said. She then unwrapped the gift to find that it was a bunch of the novels that Bella loved to read. "Thank you, Jasper. I love it." Bella said.

"I know that you just about wore out the other copies you had." Jasper said with a smile.

"Okay! My turn!" Emmett said. He grabbed a box that was on the table before he handed it to Bella.

Bella opened it to find that there were racing and fighting games for the Xbox, Playstation 3, and the Wii.

Before we left, Emmett had gotten Bella to play those kinds of games with him, and he had gotten her hooked on them.

"I think that these will help to stop your boredom since you're confined to the room now." Emmett said.

"Thanks, Emmett." Bella said.

"No problem!" Emmett said.

"But those systems are down here." Bella said.

"No anymore! We set them up your room." Emmett said.

"Okay. I think that it's time that Bella went to bed." Esme announced.

I knew that Esme was right. I could tell that Bella was tired, and she needed to rest.

"Perfect! You can see the room then!" Alice said before darting up the stairs.

Now was the moment of truth to see just what Alice had done to my room.

* * *

Hope you liked it.

Next: Continuation of Bella being home.

R&R.


	12. Home part 2

Here's the next chapter.

Sorry for the delay, but I've been busy with my college work, so I haven't had much time to write.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 12- Home part 2

~Bella POV~

With help from Edward, I was able to get up off the couch. We the headed for the stairs.

I knew that Edward was worried about what Alice had done to his room. I was a little worried myself. I knew how Alice could be, so I was a little apprehensive about what had Alice had done.

It was a slow process given the fact that I couldn't walk very fast at the moment.

The next thing I knew, Emmett had scooped me up into his arms and was heading upstairs with me.

"EMMETT!" Edward growled.

"It'll be faster, bro." Emmett said. He had already reached the top of the stairs and was heading for Edward's room.

Alice was waiting by the door of Edward's room for us to get there. "Are you ready?" Alice asked with a smile.

"Of course we are, Alice." Edward said. He then looked over at Emmett and said, "You can out Bella down now, Emmett."

"Sure." Emmett said. He then set me back down on my feet.

I smiled at Emmett and said, "Thanks for the help."

"Sure thing, sis." Emmett said, grinning.

"Okay! Let's go!" Alice said excitedly.

Jasper walked over and wrapped his arm around Alice's waist. "You can calm down." Jasper told her.

"I'm too excited!" Alice replied.

"Okay, Alice. We've been waiting a week to see what you've done, so open the door already." Rosalie said.

Trust Rosalie to be blunt, but I was grateful for it.

"Okay." Alice said. She reached over and opened the door to the room.

The bed was in the center of the room. It had four high posts, and there was a white curtain that went around the whole bed. The curtain could be opened from either side of the bed as well as at the foot of the bed. There were purple sheets on the bed, and they looked like silk. The big screen TV was where it had been although there was now an Xbox and a Playstation 3 along with the DVD player. On a bookshelf beside the TV were various games and movies that could be played and watched. The dresser looked expensive and was white. It had five drawers, and there were several items on top of the dresser, including my hairbrush and jewelry box. There was a second light pink jewelry box, which I was sure Alice had filled up. A second dresser was in the corner with more drawer space and a mirror. There were flowers, which were pink, red, and white, in a vase set up on one end of the dresser, and there was a picture frame on the other end. The curtains on the window were a light blue and came down the length of the window. The curtains were elegantly designed although still tasteful. The carpet was now a dark tan instead of light. The couch was still there, although it was now black.

I was rather shocked. I had expected something much more elaborate and fancy since Alice was the one decorating the room.

"So, what do you think?" Alice asked expectantly.

"I have to say Alice, I'm pleasantly surprised." Edward remarked.

"You are?" Alice asked.

Edward nodded. "I expected it to be worse." Edward said.

Alice whacked Edward on the arm. "Watch it, Edward, or I might decide to go back and go all out. Not to mention make it as feminine as possible." Alice threatened.

I smiled at Alice. "The room looks great, Alice." I assured her.

Alice smiled brightly at me. "Thank you! I'm glad that someone appreciates all of my hard work. You have no idea how long it took me to get everything designed the way I wanted it to be." Alice stated, glaring at Edward.

Edward simply ignored her.

"Now, everyone. Bella needs to get some rest, so let's go and let her rest." Esme ordered.

Edward led me on into our room while Esme herded the rest of the family down the stairs.

I immediately walked over to the bed and sat down.

"Are you okay, love?" Edward inquired worriedly.

I had no doubt that Edward would become a mother hen.

"I'm fine, Edward. Just a little tired." I promised him.

Edward walked over to the dresser and pulled something out of one of the drawers. He then walked over to me and handed them to me. "You can put these on and then go to bed." Edward told me.

I noticed that the pajamas were silk. "Edward-" I started, not sure that I really wanted to wear silk pajamas.

"Sorry, but silk is the only thing that Alice has in the drawers for you to wear at night.' Edward explained.

I sighed. I should have known that would happen with Alice.

I took the lavender silk pajamas from Edward. "Okay." I said.

"Do you need me to get Esme to help you?" Edward asked.

"I think I can manage on my own." I replied.

"All right. I'll be right outside." Edward informed me before he left the room.

I slowly started to take my clothes off and changed into the pajamas. It was a little painful with my injuries, but I managed it. Once I changed into the silk pajamas, I realized that I liked them. I sat back down on the bed and called out to Edward, "You can come back in, Edward."

The door opened, and Edward walked back into the room. "You do look good in the silk pajamas." Edward stated.

I smiled. "I actually like the way they feel." I admitted.

"YES!" Alice shouted from downstairs.

I covered my face with my hands. "I'm doomed." I moaned.

"Yes. You are." Edward agreed, stroking my hair. "Is there anything you need?" he asked.

I looked up at Edward's face and noticed that his eyes were pitch black. Given the fact that he has barely left me since I first left the hospital, it shouldn't surprise me that he is in need of a hunt.

Cold hands on my face brought me out of my thoughts.

"Love, are you all right?" Edward asked, worried.

I realized that I had just been starring at him. "I'm fine, Edward, but if you want to do something for me, then go hunt." I ordered.

"I'm not lea-" Edward started.

"Edward, you are not going to starve yourself because of me. You need to take care of yourself, too." I insisted.

"I'm fine." Edward retorted.

I sighed. "I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice since you refuse to take care of yourself." I stated.

Edward smirked at me as if he was asking me what I was planning to do about it.

"Oh, Emmett! Jasper!" I called.

Edward's eyes widened at that, but before he was able to do anything, our brothers were in the room, holding onto Edward.

"Let me go!" Edward growled at them.

Emmett looked over at me. "You called, little sis." Emmett said innocently, blatantly ignoring Edward's growls.

"Could you both take Edward out hunting?" I asked.

"Sure. Emmett and I were discussing going hunting anyway." Jasper replied.

"And don't let him come back until he's full." I added.

"Sure!" Emmett answered happily.

"Bella-" Edward started, looking at me pleadingly.

"No, Edward. You need to hunt. I'll be fine with Esme, Alice, and Rose. Now go. You won't do yourself any good if you get too hungry." I told him.

"But-" Edward started.

"Hey. I'm sure Emmett and Jasper would love to drag you hunting kicking and screaming." I reminded him.

Emmett snickered. "No joke." Emmett said.

"We'll enjoy it." Jasper added with a smirk.

Edward sighed, defeated. "All right. Just call if you need anything." Edward relented.

"I will." I promised.

Emmett and Jasper virtually dragged Edward out of the room.

A few moments later, Alice came into the room. "Thanks. We were all getting worried about Edward, and he wasn't listening to us as far as going hunting goes." Alice told me.

"No problem. I don't need him starving on me." I replied. I stifled a yawn.

"Get some sleep, Bella. Carlisle did sat fir you to rest." Alice stated.

"Okay." I agreed.

Alice left the room, and I laid down, pulling the covers over me. I hoped that I wouldn't have nightmares.

* * *

~Rosalie POV~

"You know, I'm really starting to love Bella." I remarked

Esme glanced over at me. "Any particular reason for that thought, Rose?" Esme asked me.

I smirked. "Anyone who can order Edward around like that is all right in my book." I replied.

"Rosalie!" Esme scolded.

Alice giggled as she walked over to sit beside me on the couch. "Come on, Esme. You know that there isn't anyone who has ever managed to talk to Edward the way Bella did and get away with it, and no one certainly has ever gotten away with siccing Jasper and Emmett on him. Anyone else who did that would have been facing Edward's wrath." Alice stated.

Esme sighed. "I know, and I suppose Edward really did need to go hunting by any means necessary." Esme relented.

"Sounds like it's a good thing Bella is here. She orders Edward around, and he does exactly what she wants." I said.

"Just like our men." Alice added, giggling.

We all started to do our own thing.

Esme was looking over plans to renovate the nearby cottage we owned.

Alice was designing Bella's wedding dress since she had seen a vision of Bella and Edward getting married.

I was watching a movie that had come on TV that I liked.

It was all fine until we all heard a bloodcurdling scream.

All three of us jumped up from our seats, breaking a few things in the process, and dashed upstairs, putting dents in the floor.

Esme reached the door to Bella and Edward's room first and threw the door open full-force, effectively shattering the door.

Bella was still screaming and twisting in her sleep.

Esme dashed over to Bella and held her placed so she didn't hurt herself. "Bella! Bella, wake up!" Esme shouted frantically.

Bella's eyes flew open, tears streaming down her cheeks. She looked scared and broken. Her eyes scanned the room frantically, as if she was trying to figure out where she was.

"Bella, it's all right. I'm right here." Esme assured her soothingly.

Bella's eyes then connected with Esme's. "E-Esme?" Bella asked shakily as if she was unsure if it really was Esme.

"I'm right here, Bella. It's all right." Esme reassured her comfortingly.

Then, Bella threw her arms around Esme, buried her face into Esme's chest, and started sobbing.

I was shocked at how my sister was acting. It was heartbreaking to see her like this, especially since we didn't know what was wrong.

Esme started to rock Bella back and forth slowly as she rubbed her hand up and down Bella's back. She was also whispering soothing words into Bella's ear in an attempt to calm her down faster.

Alice and I glanced at each other before we backed out of the room and headed downstairs again.

This was a time when Bella needed her mother.

* * *

~Esme POV~

I continued to rock Bella back and forth as I tried to calm her down. I had never soon any of my children like this, and this scared me.

Bella continued to sob into my chest. Whatever her nightmare was about it had thoroughly frightened her.

I kept on trying to calm her down.

After an hour, Bella started to calm down.

I stopped rocking her, but I continued to stroke her hair.

Bella finally pulled away. "I-I'm sorry, Esme." Bella apologized.

I was shocked. There was no need for any of my children to apologize to me when they were coming to me upset. "Bella, sweetheart," I told her, wiping the tears from her cheeks, "you don't need to apologize to me. But tell me, what upsets you so?"

Bella bit her lip. "I-I had another nightmare." Bella admitted.

"About what?" I prodded.

Bella took a deep breath. "Esme, can I tell you something? Even though it might upset you?" Bella asked.

I smiled at her. "Of course, Bella. You can tell me anything." I assured her.

Bella nodded. "Well, after all of you-left," Bella started, getting a little choked up, "I didn't know what to do. It felt like there was a hole in my chest. I sort of went comatose for a while. My dad-" Bella got choked up again, "my dad considered getting me help. Shrink-type help." Bella told me.

I barely held in my gasp, but I clearly heard Alice and Rosalie gasp. This was shocking and horrifying.

"I started to try to act normal for my dad's sake, but I wasn't all right. "Bella stated. She took a deep breath and said, "I didn't think that anything could make me hurt worse, but I was wring. Three months after you left, my mom and my step dad were killed in a care accident." She looked like she could cry.

"Oh, Bella. I'm sorry." I say, hugging my daughter. I couldn't believe she had lost her parents in the time that we had been gone.

"My dad-" Bella got choked up again. She then started over. "My dad is the only reason that I was able to survive that. He went with me to Jacksonville. He helped me arrange the funeral. He helped me clean out their house. And he helped me through it. To me, Dad was Superman through that ordeal." Bella explained. She bit her lip. "Then Dad died and-" Bella couldn't continue. She buried her face in her hands as she started sobbing.

I wrapped my arms around Bella and pulled her close. "Shh. It's all right, Bella. I'm right here." I told her. I stroked her hair and let her cry. I knew that she needed it.

* * *

~Alice POV~

I can't believe it. I can't believe that Bella went through all this without anyone there to help her. Our leaving only hurt her.

It was so hard to stay down here while Esme comforted my sister. I wanted to be there, too.

I glanced over at Rosalie. She looked like she was just as upset as I was.

"Bella's a lost stronger than I thought she was. She's survived a lot since we left." Rosalie murmured more to herself than to me. Rosalie shook her head and said, "After all this, Edward deserves a good thrashing.""I think he'll do plenty of that himself when he hears about this." I remarked.

The crying had stopped.

A few minutes later, we heard Esme come downstairs.

Esme looked upset. She never liked it when any of us were upset, but I'm sure that this was especially hard on her.

"How is she?" Rosalie asked.

"She cried herself to sleep." Esme replied. She shook her head. "I can't believe Bella went through all this." Esme stated.

"I know." Rosalie said.

"Do we tell Edward?" I asked.

"No. Bella needs to do that." Esme answered firmly.

* * *

Hope you liked it.

Next: Edward learns about this as do the rest of the men in the family.

R&R.


	13. Pain

I know that it's bean a while since I updated. Sorry about that, and I'll try to do better on updates.

Enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Chapter 13- Pain

~Edward POV~

I wasn't thrilled when Bella pretty much ordered me to go hunting and even got Jazz and Em to force to go. I have to admit that it was a good thing she did that. I really did need to hunt. I feel a whole lot better now.

"See, bro!" Emmett slapped me on the back. "You needed this."

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, I know, Emmett. I'm not completely stupid."

"That's debatable. I mean, it took Bella kicking you out of the house for you to finally get out hunting." Emmett pointed out.

"Besides, you hadn't hunted since the day I found Bella. With all the stress that you've been under, you needed a good hunt long before now, Edward." Jasper told me.

"So sue me for wanting to be with Bella while she was fighting for her life." I snapped.

Jasper raised his hands. "I don't mean anything by it, Edward. I'm just saying that you need to start keeping up with your hunting now that Bella is home. You know that she is in good hands at the house."

I sighed. "I know. I know."

Emmett snickered. "With Bella here, I don't think that there's much of a chance of that happening. You are way beyond whipped, bro."

"I am not whipped!" I retorted.

"Yeah, right. If Bella said jump, you'd say how high. You're as whipped as Carlisle, Jazz, and I are." Emmett told me.

"He's right. You should know from our relationships that the women rule and we superficial men do as they say." Jasper stated.

"Or we don't get any bedroom action." Emmett finished.

I didn't want to admit it, but I knew that they were right.

Emmett started laughing. "He knows it!"

I glared at him. I hated it when Emmett was right because he wouldn't let me live this down for the next ten decades.

* * *

~Carlisle POV~

I walked into my house after a long day at work to find my wife and my two vampire daughters in the living room sitting on the couch.

What surprised me about them was the fact that all three had somber demeanors about them. That was unusual, especially for Alice who was normally jubilant.

I glanced around and smelled the air before I asked my question. "Where are the boys?"

"Hunting. Bella asked Emmett and Jasper to take him hunting since she knew that he needed a hunt badly." Esme answered.

I scanned each of their faces carefully before I asked my next question. "What's wrong?"

All three looked at each before they looked back at me, as if they were silently asking each other if they should tell me.

Some form of communication that women seemed to be able to pull off with each other.

My thoughts then turned to my youngest daughter, and I instantly became fearful for her health. "Is it Bella? Is she all right? Do I need to check on her?" I was already heading for the stairs.

Esme was up and by my side quickly. "Bella's fine, Carlisle. She's sleeping right now."

I looked at my wife carefully. I knew her better than she knew herself, so I knew that there was something very wrong. "Then what has happened? Something has made all three of you very somber, and I would like to know why."

Esme seemed to hesitate before she started. "Bella has a nightmare and then an emotional meltdown."

This alarmed me. I knew that something like this was very serious.

Esme then told me what had happened while I was at the hospital, starting with Bella ordering Edward to go hunt and ending with everything that had happened to Bella while we had been gone.

It bothered me that Bella went through all of this alone with no one there to help her, but at the same time I knew that it was a good thing that Bella had talked about it and was no longer keeping everything bottled up inside.

"We shouldn't have left. We should never have listened to that jackass. It did more harm than good." Rosalie growled.

"Rosalie! Do not talk about your brother that way!" Esme scolded.

"I'm sorry, but it's the truth. Edward was the one who was so insistent that we leave. He's the one who said that it was for Bella's own safety that we leave. I hardly consider everything that she has went through good! Especially us leaving!" Rosalie retorted.

Alice walked over and placed a hand on Rosalie's shoulder. "It's not anyone's fault, Rose. We can't change the past, but we can make sure that Bella never goes through any of this again."

"Alice is right." I added.

Rosalie groaned. "Oh, all right."

"Carlisle, is it good or bad that Bella broke down the way she did?" Alice asked me worriedly.

"It's more good. Bella has been going through a lot, and the fact that she has talked about what happened to her in the time we were gone is good because she is not keeping everything bottled up. That would be much worse." I answered.

Rosalie was picking at her nails. "Should we tell Edward what Bella told us?"

"No. That's Bella's place." Esme replied firmly.

"I agree. Something like this needs to come from Bella. Guard your thoughts when the boys get back. We don't want to let Edward in on what's happening." I warned.

All three of the nodded their heads in agreement, knowing how important this was.

* * *

~Jasper POV~

I was glad that Edward finally went out to go hunting with Emmett and me, even if the only reason he came was because of the threat that Bella made against him.

Emmett was disappointed that he didn't get the chance to drag Edward out hunting.

It was a relief to me when Edward had hunting and his thirst had abated. I could feel how bad Edward's thirst was getting because I could feel it. With Edward sated, it wasn't as bad for me.

Since Bella wasn't around, I figured that this was the best time to broach what I consider to be a very sensitive subject with Edward.

"Edward, there's an issue that I think we need to talk about." I told him.

Edward glanced over at me. "Like what?"

"Victoria."

The name caused a grown and then a hiss to erupt from Edward.

"You know that Victoria isn't going to give up that easily, Edward. You know what she's going to keep coming after Bella until she finally gets Bella or we kill her." I reminded him.

"Let her. We'll take care of her and show her that no one messes with Bella without messing with the entire family. We won't have a thing to worry about then." Emmett stated, flexing his muscles.

"Emmett," I sighed, "it's not as simple as that. Victoria is crafty, and she's not going to be as easy to kill as we would like her to be. Besides, we don't even know if she has anyone helping her. We have to be prepared for anything."

"I know all that, Jazz. Believe me. Victoria is one problem that I am not going to be forgetting any time soon. She killed Charlie and then she tried to kill Bella. It's not something I'm going to forget." Edward growled, clenching his fists.

I held up my hands. "I'm just reminding you that we have to deal with her. We can't get too relaxed right now."

"I won't." Edward stated firmly.

And I knew that he was telling the truth. With Victoria after Bella, there was no way that Edward was going to forget the Victoria problem.

"Come on. Let's get back home if we're done hunting." Emmett stated.

We all then ran back to where the car was.

* * *

~Edward POV~

I was glad that we were going home.

As much as I trusted Esme, Alice, and Rosalie to take care of Bella, I would feel a lot better when I was able to see her again.

Jasper sighed, exasperated. "Edward, for the love of all that's holy, please stop worrying! Bella is fine! You know that!"

I smiled at Jasper apologetically. "I know hat, Jazz. I'll just feel a lot better when I can see her again.""It's not the different than us, Jazz. I mean, we miss Rose and Alice like crazy when we go on hunting trips without them, so no real diff there." Emmet pointed out from behind the wheel.

"I have more to worry about because Bella is human, and she can hurt a lot easier than Rose and Alice can." I added.

"Yeah. As clumsy as she is, no telling how bad she could hurt herself." Emmett laughed.

"Believe me. I know how much you worry." Jasper muttered.

"Sorry, Jazz." I apologized.

The house soon came into view, and Emmett used the garage door opener to open the garage door, and he pulled the car into the garage. The three of us then got out of the car and headed into the house.

"The whole family is here." Emmett stated.

"We were the only ones gone, Em." Jasper pointed put as we walked into the main part of the house.

Esme was busy looking over the building plans for a house that she was designing.

Alice was shopping online. Big surprise.

Rosalie was watching some movie on Lifetime that she has seen a hundred times at least.

Carlisle, as usual, was reading a new medical journal.

I noticed that all four of them seemed to be trying to block their thoughts from me.

At the time, I couldn't be bothered to try and find out why they were blocking me. I was too concerned with seeing my Bella.

I walked into my room to see that Bella was lying on her side on the bed, still asleep. I sat on the bed gently so that I didn't jostle her. I lay down by her and gently pulled her into my arms, letting her sleep as long as she needed to.

* * *

~Rosalie POV~

The second that Edward had shut the door to his room, Carlisle glanced over at me and Alice, signaling that it was time for us to get our husbands out of the house and tell them what Bella had said.

I turned off the TV and stood up. "Come on, Emmett. You've been gone for a while, and I want to spend a little time alone with you." I made sure that the only thoughts I had were ones of me and Emmett going at it like rabbits.

The groan that Edward let out from upstairs told met hat he had no idea what I really had in mind.

Emmett's face lit up. "Sure thing, Rosie! Let's go!" Sex was the only thing Emmett needed to hear in order to get him out of the house.

"We're going, too, Jazzy!" Alice told him cheerfully.

Before jasper could question it, Alice skipped over to him and grabbed him the hand before she practically dragged him out the door.

Emmett looked confused. He had never seen Alice drag Jasper off that quickly.

"Come on, Emmett. Let's get going." I told him, forcing Emmett out the door.

Alice and I took our husbands far enough away from the house that Edward wouldn't be able to hear us talking or hear our thoughts.

"This is new, babe. You've never wanted anyone to join us before. It's always just us." Emmett remarked.

I saw red! I was going to kill him for that!

Jasper then slapped Emmett in the back of the head.

"Ow!" Emmett rubbed the back of his head before turning to glare at Jasper. "What the hell was that for?"

"Thank you, Jasper." I told him.

"I don't get it. Why did you hit me?" Emmett then looked at me. "And why did you thank him for doing that to me?"

"Emmett! Rose and Alive brought us out here so that they could tell us something that they don't want Edward to overhear! They didn't bring us all the way out here to have sex!" Jasper snapped.

"You did?" Emmett asked, looking at us.

"Yeah. We found out something about Bella while you guys were out hunting. We're telling you, but Bella is going to tell Edward." Alice explained.

"Well, what is it?" Emmett asked.

Alice and I started to tell our husbands everything that we had learned from Bella from listening to her conversation with Esme.

It was easy to tell that Jasper and Emmett were both shocked by what they were told.

"All right! That does it! Edward is a dead vampire now! No way he's getting away with letting my little sister go through all of this alone!" Emmett snarled, starting for the house.

"Emmett McCarty Cullen! Get your ass back here right now!" I growled.

Emmett stopped and turned to face me. "But Rosie-" Emmett started.

"Don't but Rosie me! You are not saying a word to Edward because Bella is the one that's going to tell Edward all of this. Besides, you're not going to kill him because that would hurt Bella, and there's no way that this family is going to ever hurt Bella again." I snarled.

Emmett backed up. He knew not to cross me.

Jasper shook his head. "Edward might have had good intentions when he left, but it did Bella no good. If anything, our leaving did a great deal more harm than good."

"Yeah. When Bella broke down, it was hard listening to her tell us everything. I'm glad that Esme was there to calm her down. It was heartbreaking to hear her." Alice stated.

I glanced over at Jasper. "You might want to be thankful that you weren't there. I don't think that you could handle the emotions that Bella felt."

Jasper grimaced at the mere thought.

"So, what do we do now?" Emmett asked.

"We wait. Esme and Carlisle can shield their thoughts, but we have a harder time doing that. We'd better just stay put. We don't want Edward finding out before Bella tells him." I stated.

"Let's just hope that Edward doesn't beat himself up over this too much." Jasper stated.

We all knew about Edward's knack for blaming himself for something that was really out of his hands.

* * *

~Bella POV~

Slowly, I opened my eyes and looked up at the sky.

It was a bright, sunny morning. I couldn't be sure, but I had a feeling that there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

Which meant that there were going to be seven sparkling vampires in the house.

"Good morning." a musical voice greeted.

I jumped slightly and turned around to find Edward sitting beside me.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you." Edward told me.

As I expected, he was sparkling.

"I suppose I'll be seeing all of you sparkle most of the day." I stated.

Edward smirked. "Now you know why we spend days like this hunting. We can't be seen by humans on this day." He paused a moment. "Well, any human besides you."

I noticed that his eyes were now gold, not black. "I'm glad that you did as I asked and hunted."

Edward scowled. "Well, my brothers didn't give me much of a choice, not thanks to you."

I laughed. "You needed to hunt. You can't deny that, Edward."

"I know. I know." Edward sighed.

I knew that he hated when I was right, but I knew that I was. I couldn't let him starve because of me. Besides, I was fine without him for a few hours.

"How are you feeling this morning?" Edward asked.

"I'm okay." I then remembered the nightmare that I had had the night before, my breakdown, and spilling my guts to Esme. "Did you talk to Esme when you got back?"

Edward looked over at me, as if he was wondering why I had asked that. "Yes. She said that you were fine."She didn't tell him.

"Rose and Alice were quick to grab Em and Jazz to get them out of the house, and they haven't come back. Esme left this morning when Carlisle did." Edward told me.

"So, we're alone." I ventured.

"Yes."

Well, I knew why we were alone. They were giving me the chance to tell Edward everything that I had told Esme. I knew that I needed to. Besides, if I didn't tell Edward, I was sure that Esme would have.

Edward frowned. "Bella, is there something that everyone else knows that I don't? I know that Carlisle and Esme were blocking their thoughts."

I had a feeling that Esme had told Carlisle everything, and I was fairly certain that Rose and Alice had told Emmett and Jasper what I had said as well.

"Bella?" Edward questioned. He was worried. I could tell that. It seemed to be all he did where I was concerned lately. I knew that I needed to tell him, but I was worried about how he would take it.

I sighed. "Yes, Edward. There is something that you need to know. Esme, Alice, and Rosalie found out last night. I'm sure that they told Carlisle, Jasper, and Emmett."

"Any reason they didn't want me to hear?" Edward asked.

"Because they knew that I needed to be the one to tell you."

"So, what's going on?"

I was hesitant to tell him. I knew that this was going to hurt him, and the last thing that I wanted to do was hurt him.

Edward looked at me worriedly. "Bella, what's going on?"

I took a deep breath before I told Edward everything that I had told Esme, not leaving anything out. By the time I was done, I was crying again.

Edward wrapped his arms around me and gently pulled me to him. "I'm sorry, Bella. I'm so sorry." Edward murmured into my hair.

I just held onto Edward like my life depended on it. In a way, it did. I really didn't have any family left now. The Cullens were the only family that I had left.

* * *

~Edward POV~

Idiot.

Stupid.

Ignorant.

Selfish.

Bastard.

Asshole.

All of these were terms that I could use to describe myself right about now. They all fit because I have been all of those things in all of this.

Bella has been hurting so much because of so many different things that have happened, and there was no one there to help her through these things. She had had Charlie to help her through her mother and stepfather's deaths, but she had had no one to help her through her father's death or after.

And what I had done had turned her comatose.

Now, I wish that Emmett would come barreling through the door ad pummel me into nothing. It's what I deserve.

The door to the room was suddenly slammed opened, causing Bella to jump in my arms. Emmett stood there, glaring at me.

Be careful what you wish for.

"You are so dead!" Emmett growled.

"Emmett, don't." Bella begged.

A moment later, Rosalie was in front of her husband. "Emmett McCarty Cullen! I told you that you aren't doing anything!"

"But Rosie-" Emmett started.

"Don't but me! Go! Now!" Rosalie ordered. She then pushed Emmett backwards out of the room.

I winced at the loud crash.

There went part of the wall. Esme was not going to be happy about this.

Rosalie looked back at me and Bella. "Sorry about that. I'll get him out of here, and once he calms down, I'll get him to replace the door." She then left and I heard her struggling to get Emmett down the stairs, which is a feat in itself when you consider the fact that Emmett is like a wild bear when he's mad.

I sighed. "Emmett had every right to want to kill me."I then felt Bella's warm hand on my cheek. I looked up into her brown eyes.

"Don't, Edward. Don't blame yourself." Bella told me softly.

"You wouldn't have had to go through so much if I had still been here, Bella." I stated.

"Edward, that's in the past. You're here now, and that's what matters." Bella said.

"You're right." I agreed as I hugged her.

Bella hugged me back.

I know that I wouldn't forgive myself for this hat easily, but I could at least be here for Bella now.

And that's what matters.

* * *

Hope you liked it.

Next: Just about Bella getting better and some family moments.

R&R.


End file.
